Thousands of children of alcoholic parents are calling a helpline to hear bedtime stories because their parents are unable to read to them.
Children as young as five are calling the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa) to listen to a story before bed, according to latest figures.
The charity says they have ‘regular’ callers with many requesting the stories from Disney, Horrid Henry and Roald Dahl.
Nacoa chied executive, Hilary Henriques, revealed in the report that on one occasion, a counsellor helped a five-year-old girl call 999 after her mother had locked herself in the bathroom.
Paramedics later arrived to find the woman had died.
The report comes at the end of Children of Alcoholics week and follows up to a manifesto published by MPs calling for the Government to take action.
