Huge rise in sex diseases

Doctors today warned of a huge increase in the number of sexually transmitted diseases.

They highlight new figures pointing to a huge increase in casual sex, especially among young people under 30.

The highest-rate of infection was among 16- to 19-year-old women and 20- to 24-year-old men but health experts fear it is "the tip of the sexual iceberg".

Across London 20,000 new cases of chlamydia and 10,000 new cases of gonorrhoea were diagnosed last year.

Mark Parkianthan, consultant physician-at St George's Hospital in Tooting, described the situation as a "catastrophe".

Mr Parkianthan said that five years ago 20,000 people attended his clinic suffering from sexually transmitted infections but last year this figure doubled.

He revealed one new pattern to emerge among teenagers - some as young as 12 - is that of "sex texters", who use their mobile phones to call up partners to arrange casual encounters.