PILLS which are helping North-East pupils dramatically improve their school work could also cut crime, it was revealed last night.

Feeding young prisoners dietary supplements containing vitamins, minerals and fish oil appears to have "remarkably" reduced their anti-social behaviour.

The claim by Surrey University researchers follows a radical experiment to combat learning difficulties in County Durham.

The scheme, which involves giving daily food supplements to primary school children, is showing extraordinary results.

In one case, a pupil's reading age made the equivalent of four years progress in only 12 weeks. Other children appear brighter, more confident and find it easier to concentrate.

County Durham researchers have now extended the trial to university students with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia.

Hilary Osborne, dyslexia advisor to Durham University, said: "We think about 25 of our students will be involved. It is an exciting opportunity to help support our students."

The research on prisoners - involving 230 inmates at a Buckinghamshire young offenders' institution - showed that the number of offences committed by prisoners who were on dietary supplements dropped by a quarter compared to those who were on dummy tablets.

Scientists believe the supplements, which include the same omega three and omega six fish oils given to County Durham pupils, stimulate the brain.

Concern that our modern diet is lacking in many essential vitamins and minerals - found in fresh vegetables - and fishy oils has led to the development of food supplements. To demonstrate that these supplements can boost intelligence, the North-East youngsters with suspected learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and hyper-activity, have been taking Eye.q pills as part of a six month trial.

The pills contain omega three and omega six fish oils, evening primrose oil and vitamin E.

Bernard Gesch, lead author of the prisoners study, said: "In the future we may have a choice where we continue to lock up even more of our children, or we nourish them properly.

"The supplement just provided the vitamins, minerals and fatty acids found in a good diet which the inmates should be getting anyway, yet the improvement in behaviour was huge."

Researchers said the greatest reduction was for serious offences including violence, where there was a drop of nearly 40 per cent, while there was no reduction among those on the dummy pills.

Although reasonable food was available in jail, most inmates plumped for the least healthy option.

Dr Madelaine Portwood, a senior educational psychologist at Durham County Council Education Authority, who is in charge of the schools trial, said she was "very excited" by the prisoners study.

Six years ago, she visited the Deerbolt young offenders' institution near Barnard Castle, County Durham, and assessed 69 randomly-selected inmates.

She found that 53 per cent had undiagnosed developmental disorders.

"The new study should be taken very seriously," she said. "We have to look at the nutrition of young offenders in an attempt to reduce the re-offending rate and perhaps change the outcome for many of these young adults."