RECORDED sex offences against children are at an all-time high in the UK with a record 570 last year in Wiltshire alone.

According to figures obtained by the NSPCC using the Freedom of Information Act, Wiltshire Police dealt with 116 cases including rape and grooming, where the victims were under the age of 10.

Almost one in 10 of them were linked to online activity.

The national total for recorded offences was up 15 per cent to 64,667 – 6,438 of them flagged by officers as having an online element – an increase of 59 per cent on the previous year.

Sharon Copsey, NSPCC head of service for South West England, said: “This dramatic rise is extremely concerning and shows just how extensive child sexual abuse is.

“These abhorrent crimes can shatter a child’s life, leaving them to feel humiliated, depressed, or even suicidal. That is why it is crucial every single child who has endured abuse and needs support must get timely, thorough help so they can learn to rebuild their lives.”

The charity is calling for the Government to put more resources into quality training and support for frontline officers to tackle the problem and raise awareness of safeguarding procedures.

She added: “These new figures suggest the police are making real progress in how they investigate sex offences against children. To help them tackle the issue going forward, we must ensure the police are equipped to work with other agencies and provide ongoing support and training to officers on the frontline.”

The NSPCC believes the increase may be down to several factors including improved recording methods used by police forces and victims feeling more confident in making complaints in the wake of high profile cases.

But it also fears the numbers highlight the fact online groomers are becoming a significant problem because the internet allows them to reach hundreds of children.

Requests were sent to 43 forces in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, asking them the numbers of recorded sexual offences between April 2016 and March last year against under 18s, broken down by age and whether they had been cyber-flagged.

Wiltshire’s total increased by 14 from last year, Gloucestershire recorded an increase of 123 from 381 to 504, while in Avon and Somerset the increase was 443 from 1,040 to 1,483.