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The closure of Glasgow’s “warehouse” style homeless hostels marks a new beginning for homelessness services in the city, Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell said today.

The two boys and a girl were forced into young offenders’ institutions, which normally house adults aged 16 to 21, following the closure of the country’s biggest secure unit for children after a weekend riot.

A CARE home exposed by a Record investigation for abusing elderly residents is to close. Davenport Nursing Home has such an appalling reputation and is in such a poor state of repair that residents are rejecting offers to go there.

STAFF at a riot-hit secure unit say management are risking their lives by being soft on the child inmates. Two dangerous teenagers went on the run after the latest outbreak of rioting, in which workers were slashed and battered.

Staff say police were only called after six hours of mayhem on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

By then, they claim, the rioters had set fire to rooms at the unit, St Mary’s Kenmure in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow.

Ten teenagers had broken out, although eight were caught. A ninth was being held by police last night and is expected in court today.

One worker said yesterday: “It’s supposed to be like Colditz for kids. But it’s more like Castle Chaos. The way things are going, it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed.”

The worker added: “We are dealing with murderers and rapists and yet we are expected to treat them with kid gloves.