Parents say drug use is biggest fear

Four in 10 parents say drug use is their biggest fear for their youngsters – 10 times as many as those who say they are concerned about their children carrying weapons (4.7 per cent).

More than nine in 10 (90.1 per cent) of the parents surveyed believed sport can help stop young people getting involved in illegal or anti-social behaviour.

However, a quarter (26.8 per cent) of youngsters never take part in a team sport - a figure that rises to four in 10 (40 per cent) among 16 to 18-year-olds.

The poll, which questioned more than 1,000 parents of children aged eight to 18, also reveals that around one in six (16.8 per cent) say their biggest fear for their youngsters is alcohol use, with one in eight (12 per cent) concerned about fighting.

Just 6.9 per cent said their biggest fear is that their child will become a member of a gang.

The survey was commissioned by the partners of StreetChance - which encourages young people in areas hit by youth crime or anti-social behaviour to play cricket – and supported by Barclays Spaces for Sports initiative.

Inspector Mark Johnson of the Metropolitan Police, one of the StreetChance partners, said: "Cricket is a team sport and a great tool for breaking down barriers with young people."