PARENTS in Southampton trying to tame unruly children will be given help from a "supernanny".

The city was named today as one of 77 areas chosen to benefit from part of a £4 million cash injection by the Government's Respect Task Force.

The money will pay for a network of parenting experts to advise new parents and intervene when children get into trouble.

It is hoped those parents who are worried about their children's behaviour can get the help they need to put an end to the bad behaviour and bring up happier, better behaved children.

Prime Minister Tony Blair warned poor parenting was bad for society and catastrophic for children.

He said: "The nanny state argument applied to this is just rubbish.

"No-one's talking about interfering in a normal family life.

"But life isn't normal if you've got 12-year-olds out every night drinking and creating a nuisance on the street with their parents either not knowing or not caring.

"In these cases, a bit of nannying with sticks and carrots is what the local community needs."

The latest move to curb anti-social behaviour comes as a Mori poll showed 53 per cent of people believe poor parenting is one of the main causes of bad behaviour.

And 85 per cent of people blamed parents for allowing children to become out of control, the poll for the Home Office showed.

The Home Office is also set to stump up more cash for existing parenting courses.

Parents can volunteer for the courses, but many are forced to participate when their children break the law or refuse to attend school.