YET another young teenager has been found hanged in a detention centre, this time in Medomsley, County Durham. Police claim "there is nothing to suggest the circumstances were suspicious".

When a 14-year-old boy awaiting trial is found hanged in a cell, alone, 150 miles from home, that is certainly one way of describing it. But I can think of a few other apt words to sum up his circumstances, such as disturbing, shocking and shameful.

Adam Rickwood was accused of wounding and, rightly, had to be dealt with by the courts. But was it appropriate to lock up a vulnerable child, who had never been in custody before, so far from his home in Burnley, Lancashire, that his mother could only travel to see him a handful of times in the four weeks he was there?

Following ten other tragic teenage suicides in detention centres over the past four years, surely it is time we questioned how we care for such disturbed and troubled children in custody.

Sadly, any lessons learned will come too late for Adam's mother, who made the journey to the North-East one last time this week, this time to see her dead son. And we have the nerve to call it a criminal justice system.

MANY commentators say football families must feel badly let down by the appalling conduct of soccer's top men. As the mother of four footie-mad sons, who have just been to see their first match of the season and are desperate for the latest exorbitantly priced new soccer strips, I was a bit concerned about the example the game's badly behaved overpaid stars and managers were setting. But that was before I read Football Association secretary Faria Alam's account of her affair with Sven-Goran Eriksson. She revealed that, after sharing a meal of oysters and Champagne, the England manager carefully cleared away the dishes and loaded the dishwasher before whisking her off to the bedroom. If I were Faria, I think I would feel a bit insulted about where his priorities lay, but, otherwise, Sven, clearly the sort of man who puts his underpants and socks in the wash basket every time and scrubs his toilet until it's spotless, is just the sort of role model young boys need. Let him keep washing his dirty linen in public. He's got more female fans than ever now.

AT last, someone has designed children's shoes that grow with their feet. The trainers, containing a concertina section, stretch at the touch of a button. Of all the parental responsibilities, the one I hate most is buying new shoes. But before I face the queues, the chaos and the tantrums involved in kitting four boys out for the new school year, could someone please put their minds to developing a pair of shoes that transform, at the touch of a button, from trainers to school shoes to studded football boots? Twelve sets of footwear is just too much for any mother to bear. Oh, and if they could be self-cleaning as well, that would help...

THE Blairs have been accused of taking too many freebie holidays. But I can't think of any reason why they shouldn't enjoy a stay with their good friend Cliff Richard in his Barbados bolt hole. In fact, for such a high-profile family constantly under scrutiny, I can understand the appeal of staying in a secluded, secure villa miles away from prying eyes and telephoto lenses. Agreeing to be the guests of Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi is something else. Next time Blair attends talks at Nato or the EU, where the interests of Britain and Italy clash, how much more difficult will it be to dig in his heels and risk upsetting his new best friend?