Leeds nostalgia: Threat of video nasties in 1984

John Landis earlier directed and wrote 1981 horror film American Werewolf In London

The report from the Parliamentary Video Inquiry Group concluded more than half of children aged seven to 16 had seen videos containing sexual or violent content.

The report based its findings on the results of more than 6,000 questionnaires but some church groups questioned the validity of the results because it targeted so-called “problem families” and also drew a direct line between the viewing of such material and violent or anti-social behaviour.

However, for most it was a vindication of long-held suspicions, particularly some in the House of Lords, who were calling for tougher legislation to prevent what they saw as a moral scourge.

According to the results, 45 per cent of children in the South had watched a video nasty but that figure rose to 55 per cent in the North and just above 57 per cent in the North East.

For it’s part, the Yorkshire Evening Post said it had been at the forefront of a campaign to safeguard youngsters from what it said were the dangers of children hiring videos from shops.