DOLLS that scream and shake uncontrollably are being used to warn teenagers of the dangers of drug abuse.

The virtual baby cries constantly from the second it is turned on and displays the same symptoms of a child in drug withdrawal.

Students from Freebrough Community College, which has sites at Brotton, Loftus and Skelton, in east Cleveland, have been introduced to the doll on a ten-week course that highlights the dangers surrounding the use of drugs.

They also get to see another doll, fashioned so it looks like the offspring of an alcoholic, with wide-set eyes and thin legs.

Youth worker Stella Pate said: "The drug-addicted baby cries and screams from when the batteries go in until they come out.

"It does not cry like a normal baby. It sounds distressing and it shows the never-ending need of the baby for the drugs."

The dolls are used in a bid to discourage teenagers from getting pregnant and help them see the dangers of abusing drink or drugs.

At the end of the ten weeks, the teenagers get to take a doll home for the weekend and will then receive a youth achievement certificate.