IT HAS forced banks to reveal massive losses, caused house prices across the world to tumble and led the global economy to the brink of recession. But now the credit crunch has found a fresh victim: the tooth fairy.
New figures have found that youngsters placing a lost tooth under their pillow are waking up to disappointment, with 38 per cent of British children find nothing in its place in the morning. Youngsters across the UK are now receiving less than a £1 f
or each tooth, compared with an earlier report which found the average was £1.22.
The new data, from milk producer Cravendale, was collated after 1,000 parents in the UK were quizzed on how much their children received.
Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said the tooth fairy was an important reminder to children to look after their teeth.
He said: "The tooth fairy's visits are part and parcel of growing up for most children so it's disappointing to learn that she has not been able to fulfil her duties lately. Hopefully the tooth fairy can weather the current economic climate and we'll see her return to top form soon."
However, parents groups said the amount paid was plenty. Judith Gillespie, policy development manger of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said 20p should be enough.
She added: "The idea is for a child to get something shiny under their pillow in the morning. It doesn't really matter how much it is – unless six-year-olds are incredibly mercenary. The money has always only been enough by tradition to buy sweeties.
"Parents buy their children an enormous number of things; the fact a lot of children already have mobile phones would suggest to me that children are not exactly being short-changed in what they get."
Meanwhile, it emerged nearly a quarter of the population will be in fuel poverty by next year with those on low incomes particularly hit because of pre-payment schemes.
A report published by the National Housing Federation shows that, by the end of 2009, there will be 5.7 million households spending at least 10 per cent of their annual income on energy bills – a 100 per cent increase since 2005.
The research, entitled Energy Prices and Debt, written by IPA Energy and Water Economics, claimed annual electricity bills are expected to increase to more than £500 each year and gas bills to around £900 by 2010.
Dogs dumped as crunch bitesDOG owners are increasingly abandoning their pets due to the credit crunch, according to a canine welfare charity.
Hundreds of pure-bred dogs are being taken to re-homing centres, turned stray or put down by vets according to the Dog's Trust, while unprecedented numbers of pedigree cats are also being abandoned as middle-class owners struggle to meet costs.
The Dogs Trust's West Calder centre, near Edinburgh, said its 60 places are full and owners face a seven-week wait to bring in their dogs to be re-homed.
Manager Susan Tonner said yesterday: "Over the last few weeks we have been contacted by people whose circumstances force them to part with their dogs. They are often in tears."
The full article contains 547 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
