London Television-obsessed children are far more likely to recognise a Dalek than a magpie, research shows. They spend so much time cooped up playing computer games and watching TV that some have no knowledge of wildlife, experts say. A poll of 1,600 children aged between 10 and 12 found that one in three could not identify a magpie, and half could not tell the difference between a bee and a wasp, the National Trust found. Nine in ten recognised the Daleks and Yoda, the Star Wars character.

As part of a National Trust campaign to urge families to spend more time exploring the great outdoors, it is taking a specially adapted bus with a garden on the top deck, right, to cities across England. Matthew Oates, of the National Trust, said: “The more distanced we become from nature, the more difficult it will be for us to survive on this planet.”

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