Published: Thursday, 19th February, 2009 10:34am

Brakes on the sex situation

by Newsdesk

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THE cherubic-looking 13-year-old from east Sussex whose face has gazed at us from our television screens and national front pages for the past week appears to have provoked both shock and amusement in equal measure.

The story has at least provided some distraction for a depressed nation sinking ever deeper into recession and it is surely mere coincidence that Alfie Patten admits that he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'financial'.

On a serious note the prodigy's achievement is fodder for those who believe that Britain is collapsing, not just economically, but also in a moral sense.

Yet while it's panic stations when it comes to a struggling bank, nobody seems that bothered when a child displays the sexuality of an animal in the wild.

For some time the Reading borough has found itself languishing at the wrong end of the teenage pregnancy league tables but, as we report today, at last someone is making determined efforts to do something about it.

Having spent untold amounts of money on sex education lessons which, mixing our metaphors, would appear to have gone in one ear and out the other in many cases, the cost of the condom card scheme will surely prove money well spent.

Certainly, some will suggest that a supply of free condoms will encourage teenagers to indulge in sexual activity, but regular contact with an expert adviser both before and after a youngster obtains a card will provide some stability. Either way it is better than what we've already got.

The idea could easily go badly wrong, but Reading Borough Council's Teenage Pregnancy Prevention And Support Service deserves our backing in its determined attempt to put the brakes on an increasingly desperate situation.

Soon, hopefully, nobody in our town will have to ask: "What's it all about Alfie?"