THE death of 14-year-old Luke Walmsley, who was stabbed at his school in Lincolnshire, will make every parent in the country shudder.

What happened so quickly and tragically in North Somercotes could have happened to any child at any school in the country.

And yesterday, North Yorkshire trading standards officers underlined the danger when they unveiled the results of their investigation into the availability of lethal weapons.

An horrific array of weapons - some with sickening names like "cat skinners" and "throat slitters" - were purchased from the Internet, market stalls and shops.

It is terrifying enough that adults would want to buy such weapons. The fact that a 14-year-old boy was able to purchase them with ease is mind-blowing.

What legitimate use could there possibly be for the so-called Ninja-style Cyclon spinning weapons pictured on page five of today's The Northern Echo.

Its sale should surely be made illegal, along with other weapons found by undercover investigators.

We applaud North Yorkshire trading standards department for its proactive approach to a problem which is truly frightening.

And we give it our full support in pressing for tougher legislation to reduce the chances of these appalling weapons falling into the wrong hands.

It's a long way back

AS the ghost ships sail ever closer, spare a thought for the crew members of the Dutch tugs which are towing the four contaminated US warships towards the North-East coast of England.

They have been kept fully briefed about the increasingly confused debate which is raging over the ships. They won't know whether they are coming or going.

At a snail's pace, across 4,500 miles of sea, it's a long, boring old journey. How they must be praying that they will be allowed to dock at Hartlepool.

Sadly for them, the tide of public opinion has well and truly turned - and it's a heck of a long way back to America.