THE family of a five-year-old victim of the Dunblane massacre have accused the Government of "hypocrisy" in its approach to arms export controls.

Mick North, whose five-year-old daughter, Sophie, died at Dunblane in 1996, has joined forces with charities Oxfam and Amnesty International, to accuse the Government of double standards.

The group says there were 129 reported crimes involving guns in the North-East last year, but that 500,000 people across the world are killed by small arms every year - equivalent to the population of Newcastle and Gateshead.

Jonathan Dorsett, Oxfam campaigns officer for the North-East, said: "The first week of a gun amnesty saw 81 weapons handed in across Northumbria alone, but while we are attempting to take guns off the streets here in the North-East, our laws are allowing gunrunners to flood other countries' streets with the same devastating weapons."

Oxfam and Amnesty International said UK gunrunners would continue supplying arms to conflict zones unless regulations were tightened urgently.

The charities said the Government's hypocrisy was highlighted by the gun amnesty - to crack down on firearms crime in the UK - coming to a close on the same day as consultation on secondary legislation of the Arms Export Control Act.

They are calling for Trade and Industry Secretary Patrica Hewitt to honour the Government's election manifesto pledge to control UK arms brokers and traffickers.

They also want the Government to close loopholes in the proposed regulations which would allow the brokers to avoid controls by stepping out of the UK to conduct their deals.

Mr North said: "While we are desperately trying to get guns off UK streets, the Government refuses to stop British citizens proactively selling guns to conflict ridden countries. The hypocrisy is breathtaking."