A tenth of teenagers living in areas with high levels of knife crime still carry a weapon to feel safe, according to a poll.

A polling company questioned 500 teenagers aged 13 to 19 who live in ten "hotspots" targeted by the Government.

Two-thirds of those under-18 said it was "very easy" or "fairly easy" to buy a knife, even though this is against the law, and around half believed the police could not protect them from violent crime.

Just over half the teenagers - who were questioned in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Thames Valley - said the Government would not be able to reduce the number of knife attacks.

Research by the Children's Commissioner earlier in the year revealed that young people living in areas with high levels of gun and knife crime were twice as likely to carry a bladed weapon than the national average.

NHS figures showed the number of children treated in hospital after being assaulted by a sharp object increased by 72 per cent from 1996-97 to 2006-07.

The Home Office has spent millions on campaigns to dissuade young people from carrying knives.

According to the British Crime Survey, from 1995 to 2007/8 the proportion of violent crimes involving a knife has remained at or below 8 per cent.

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