CASUALTY doctors today said they were 'worried' by the number of children admitting to them that their injuries were being caused by bullies.

They are now liaising with the headteachers of pupils who end up in Blackburn Royal Infirmary's Accident and Emergency unit to try and stamp out bullying.

Figures suggest that around 100 children a year are attending the hospital as a result of alleged bullying.

The Government estimates one in three children are bullied at school.

Mark Hulme, consultant nurse at Blackburn Royal Infirmary, developed a policy five years ago to work more with schools and other agencies to try and stamp out bullying.

He said he is still concerned at the number of children passing through their doors citing bullying as a reason.

"We do not see many major injuries," he said. "Many of these children need only advice prior to discharge.

"However, we are worried by the numbers of children we are seeing and the effect this is having on their general health and well-being.

"The main problem we have identified is that a large proportion of these alleged attacks are never reported to people who are directly involved with the child's welfare.

"Like with so many issues in child health, networking, or sharing information between professionals, is essential to ensure we do not overlook what appear to be isolated incidents. If we work closely with other agencies, it is possible that children who are at risk do not 'slip through the net'.

"It is our role within the Accident and Emergency department to liaise closely with these outside agencies."

Such work would only take place with parental consent he said. School nurses, health visitors, family doctors and community liaison officers are also involved to ensure the correct support is given.

Last week, Lancashire County Council unveiled new guidance to schools to help stamp out bullying for good.