Worry over children of drug addict mums

DOZENS of babies in the Lothians continue to be born with the risk of being addicted to drugs, it has been revealed.

It is estimated around 4.4 in every 1000 births in the area result in the baby having a heroin addiction due to the mother's habit during pregnancy.

It poses a massive problem both to local health chiefs and council social work teams, who are loath to remove a baby from a mother's care unless absolutely necessary.

The general trend seems to be moving upwards - in 2006 only 3.7 in every 1000 children were born to addict mothers.

That reached an all-time high at the end of 2008, but statistics have since dropped again. It is unclear if this is a data blip or the picture is genuinely improving, at least in the short term.