THERE are a million things parents have to worry about where the safety of their children are concerned.

There's the risk of them being involved in accidents and becoming victims of the many crimes of violence that now seem to occur almost daily across East Lancashire and the rest of the country.

Also the enormous (and statistically very real) fear looms large that your child might be lured into the world of drugs with the downward spiral of degradation that inevitably results.

We see around us so many apparently normal' families which have been torn apart by the tragedy of drug addiction taking over a son or daughter.

And now we see an even greater threat to health and wellbeing with the uncovering of quantities of black market valium tablets in Pendle.

Police believe they could end up in the hands of innocent children because they look like Parma violet sweets.

Taking in any quantity valium could easily prove fatal to youngsters.

Apart from spreading the word to children that they should not accept any such sweets offered to them by other children or adults it's difficult to see what else conscientious parents can do.

And that's what makes situations like this so worrying.