North Tyneside girl, 12, treated after downing vodka

A woman has been charged with buying alcohol for a 12-year-old girl who was found drunk and unconscious in a Tyneside park.

A friend dialed 999 when the youngster collapsed in Oxford Centre Play Park in Longbenton after drinking from a bottle of vodka.

She recovered after being treated at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.

A 40-year-old woman was charged with buying alcohol for a person under 18 and will appear in court later.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said of the incident on 15 October: "This child was extremely fortunate to have been taken care of after she got into this state.

"Officers found the girl had been drinking vodka and further inquiries have been carried out to establish where she got this from.

"We need to keep on telling adults not to buy alcohol for children, it is against the law to do so and you are risking the health of a child.

"This is the second similar incident in North Tyneside where an adult has bought alcohol for a child. Officers on Avon Avenue in North Shields on the same evening saw two 12-year-old girls with alcohol, this led to a woman being summonsed."