POLICE recorded nearly two child abuse image offences each day in Lancashire last year, data from the NSPCC shows.

Recorded crimes of viewing indecent pictures or videos of children has risen in the last 12 months compared to 2016-17.

The NSPCC has warned that offenders are using social media to target children for abuse online, grooming and manipulating them into sending naked images.

A freedom of information request submitted by the children’s charity shows that between April 2017 and March this year Lancashire Police recorded 674 offences of viewing child abuse images.

This was up from 591 over the previous 12 months.

A single offence recorded by police can involve hundreds or even thousands of indecent images of children.

Of the offences recorded 541 were for taking, making or distributing indecent photographs, while 133 were for possession of an indecent photograph.

A police spokesman said: “Protecting the public, especially children, from harm and abuse is an absolute priority for Lancashire Constabulary and with our partners we will continue to proactively target offenders who use the internet to view or exchange indecent images of children and help safeguard those children who have become, or are at risk of becoming, victims.”

The figures come after the Home Secretary warned internet giants, including Google and Facebook, that they could be subject to new laws unless they increase their efforts to tackle online child abuse content.

Tony Stower, NSPCC’s head of child safety online, said: “Every one of these images represents a real child who has been groomed and abused to supply the demand of this appalling trade.

“The lack of adequate protections on social networks has given offenders all too easy access to children to target and abuse. This is the last chance saloon for social networks on whose platforms this abuse is often taking place.”

A recent NSPCC survey of 40,000 young people revealed an average of one in 50 school children had sent a nude or semi-nude image to an adult.

Across the UK’s police forces, nearly 23,000 offences were recorded in 2017-18, 25 per cent more than in 2016-17.

Crime minister Victoria Atkins said the scale of online child sexual exploitation was a “stain on our world”.

“The Home Secretary has made five unequivocal demands of web giants to remove child sexual abuse content from their platforms, including stopping grooming and shutting down live-streaming,” she said.

“He expects immediate action and how far we legislate will be informed by the action and attitude taken by the technology industry.”