[West Ender]

Two boys were knocked down and killed while walking across the carriageway of the M56 at Runcorn yesterday. It's a terrible tragedy but what on Earth were the children doing out on their own? One was 6 and the other 7.

The father of the younger boy was interviewed on radio today. He said the child had been out playing all afternoon and, "I thought he was playing on the street. When he didn't come home at 5 o clock I got worried." Obviously no one was keeping watch over these children who were little more than babies.

I know the area where the boys lived, it's a large estate surrounded by woodlands and the father said he had warned the child not to play in the woods and not to go past the motorway bridge. All well and good if he was talking about a teenager but this was a 6 year old for God's sake.

I'd like to think the man felt some guilt about letting his son play unsupervised but, from his last comment in the interview, I doubt it. "The doctor's been to see me and given me medication," he said. "They've suggested I go for counselling." Good to see where his priorities lie.