Frightened Brighton and Hove children are more worried about street drinkers than school bullies, a survey has found.
Nearly 2,500 youngsters from schools across Brighton and Hove were asked what made them feel unsafe in a four-year study supported by Brighton and Hove City Council.
According to project worker Emma Lacey, of charity Safety Net, the results showed children as young as ten were being offered drink or drugs by strangers.
She said: “I have seen a pattern shift in the children’s worries and concerns over the last four years.
“The concern of adults on the street drinking, taking drugs or smoking and being approached by adults to buy alcohol or drugs has now overtaken the concern of bullying.”
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When questioned, some Year 6 children said they had been approached and offered bottles of rum and vodka.
Others talked of dreaded places they had to pass on their way home from school where street drinkers made them feel unsafe.
In a bid to tackle the problem, special packs are being trialled in primary schools in Brighton and Hove to teach youngsters how to feel safer.
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