Kent's scouting community has defended a national decision to give teenage scouts sex education and even free condoms at meetings.

According to new guidelines from The Scout Association, youngsters aged 14 to 18 are to be given sexual health advice and go on educational trips to health clinics if scout leaders think the young person is sexually active.

Kent's assistant county commissioner of scouting, John War, said the move was about protecting both young people and the longevity of the scouting movement.

"I find the guidelines not at all daunting," he said. "It is simply a matter of providing support and advice, where practical, so that young people can make informed decisions."

He added: "This is about providing information to ensure those young people stay safe and develop the confidence and self esteem they need to resist peer pressure to become sexually active too early in their lives."