LONDON mayor Ken Livingstone has been reportedly angrily remonstrating with his pregnant girlfriend for smoking a cigarette at a party.

And expectant model Kate Moss was recently vilified in the Press after being pictured drinking in a club. Glamour girl Jordan was criticised for partying right up when her baby was due, while Cherie Blair's sister Lauren Booth claimed she was made into a social pariah after being pictured having one cigarette.

In case pregnant women everywhere (and, yes, I, once again, am one of them) haven't already got the message loud and clear, we had better behave ourselves because people are getting angry.

As if we didn't have enough to cope with, we are being hounded by an ever-growing band of health police who know what's best for our growing foetuses and don't let us forget it.

And it's not just cigarettes and alcohol we should be avoiding. There are a whole list of foodstuffs, from soft cheeses to prepared salads, peanuts, lightly-cooked eggs, cold meats and pats that we are barred from touching because of the potential harm they could cause.

On my birthday, in a restaurant just after I found out I was pregnant, I made the mistake of ordering my favourite starter - melted goat's cheese salad. When it arrived, I remembered I shouldn't be eating it but, drizzled with a raspberry and walnut sauce, it looked so appetising I just couldn't resist.

I have never enjoyed a meal so much. And, what's more, I decided that, unlike in previous pregnancies, I wasn't going to feel guilty or stressed out because of such an occasional lapse. I have been enjoying the odd half glass of wine this time too. It helps me relax.

I don't want to harm my baby, but I want to enjoy these months too. I wouldn't smoke when pregnant but, as a non-smoker, that is easy for me to say. How can I condemn those one-in-four expectant mums who, try as they might, can't give up?

We have not, thankfully, gone down the road of the US, where, in some states, pregnant women may have their baby taken off them for misusing alcohol or smoking. But too many people regard pregnant women as public property, to be bullied over the sort of behaviour that is acceptable for other adults.

If only Ken, and others like him, could experience being pregnant, they might be a little more understanding.

A SCHOOLBOY who has braved ridicule and anger to fight crime in the streets of Sunderland has been praised by police chiefs and community leaders.

But, while Nikki Blenkinsopp's success in helping catch criminals is an inspiration to us all, the same cannot be said for those people in his area who are apparently so scared of going to the police with information they have to ask a 12-year-old boy to do it for them. We will really have something to celebrate when ordinary adults feel free to speak out against wrongdoing without fear. As long as people feel they have to hide behind a courageous 12-year-old, we have a long way to go in the fight against crime.