A young girl is gang-raped by five men. Other reports of abuse pour into the police control centre. Meanwhile, hordes of teenagers are permitted to wander in and out of bars and venues, becoming more and more intoxicated. By three in the morning, the majority of them are senseless with alcohol and lucky if they can get home unharmed.

Some might argue that this is a free society, and we should allow teenagers and young adults to have some fun. But other members of the town were interviewed and admitted to having to cower in their homes from 8pm onwards, denied any chance of a night out for fear of being mugged. Their freedom is being impeded by out-of-control binge drinking.

This is a typical scene in an England town on a Saturday night. A BBC1 documentary recently captured just such an appalling picture of a local council at the mercy of around five thousand kids taking over the streets every weekend. The council seemed powerless to do anything about it. The best idea they have come up with is to force kids to queue for a drink while watched by two policemen and five bouncers. This is frustrating, boring, a poor use of police resources, and not likely to catch on. How is the morality of this town and others in a similar predicament up and down the country affected? Does this represent the rapid decline in the moral fabric of a once proud nation? Is it too late to reach these young people and teach them about consideration for others, respect for elders, respect for property, self-respect, treating their body like a temple, common decency, and sexual restraint? Or is this is an example of amoral youth out of control?

Big business plays its part, too. The superstore retailer rakes in huge profits every week selling alcohol to minors: even before the evening has started. One group of girls getting ready to go out admitted in front of camera that they finished off a bottle of Vodka even before they left the house. Where is responsible and ethical business management in this scenario? Not to be seen. None of the retailers were prepared to comment.

What is the answer to such a chaotic scene? Education, Christian youth mentoring, local council powers to curb the greed of big business, powers to the police to put a stop to antisocial behaviour at the root, youth counseling offices? Any or all of these would just scratch the surface. England seems to be taking a step back into a Dickensian world of poverty, bad education and low moral values.