Youths' sporting chance

PARENTS worry more about their children taking drugs than possessing knives or guns, new research suggests.

Four in ten say drug use is their biggest fear for their youngsters - ten times as many as those who say they are concerned about their children carrying weapons. But team sports could be the key to keeping children on the right path.

More than nine in ten (90.1 per cent) of the parents surveyed said sport can help stop young people getting involved in illegal or anti-social behaviour.

The poll, which questioned more than 1,000 parents of children aged eight to 18, also reveals that around one in six says their biggest fear for their youngsters is alcohol use, with one in eight concerned about fighting.

The study reveals that many parents fear the outlook is gloomy, with many saying youngsters are more at risk of becoming involved in illegal or anti-social behaviour than when they were young.

The survey was commissioned by the partners of StreetChance - which encourages young people in areas hit by youth crime to engage in sport.