Scouts may find themselves not so well-prepared from now on after being all but banned from carrying penknives.
The crackdown on knife culture has prompted the movement's leaders to bar Scouts from having penknives except in "specific" circumstances.
Advice published in Scouting magazine said confusion over the legality of carrying a knife in public meant a change of rules was necessary.
Dave Budd, who runs courses for Scouts on the safe use of blades, said: "The series of high-profile fatal stabbings highlighted a growing knife culture in the UK. I think it is safest to assume that knives of any sort should not be carried by anybody to a Scout meeting or camp, unless there is likely to be a specific need for one.
