MPs and charities said last night they are “appalled” and “frightened” after it was revealed that footage from cameras at 17 properties in the North-East is unwittingly being live-streamed on a Russian website.

Household cameras including CCTV and baby monitors have been hacked and can be watched on the rogue site, which has access to 584 devices from the UK.

Seven feeds are from Middlesbrough, with two showing live footage of bedrooms. In one of the streams a black and white cat can be seen on a child’s bed.

Further footage includes a front path in Stockton, a living room complete with Christmas tree in Harrogate and behind the counter of a newsagent in Newcastle.

Gardens and garages also feature on the website. In one of the garages in Middlesbrough an expensive green convertible is in view.

Cleveland Police is looking into the broadcasts and urged people to upgrade their passwords.

Chief Inspector Steve Young said: “We are conducting proactive enquiries to try to identify the webcams that have been hacked at addresses that may be in the Cleveland area. Where we have become aware of potential criminal offences we will determine any necessary criminal action.

“Those who may be concerned about their security settings are advised to unplug their camera at the power source until they can be further secured.

“The National Crime Agency is advising people to contact Action Fraud.”

The website targets cameras whose owners are still using the manufacturer's default password, providing information needed to hack into people's private camera systems, plus GPS locations and postcodes.

Alex Cunningham, MP for Stockton North, said: “It is quite appalling that this kind of personal intrusion is happening to people in Teesside and no doubt it is affecting people throughout other parts of the world as well. “I plan to write to the Home Secretary to ask her what action can be taken – perhaps through the Russian authorities – to close down these kinds of sites though I do not feel terribly optimistic that this will be possible.

“The advances in technology seem to make anything possible these days and the warning of the need for regular password updates and security enhancements are well made.”

A spokesman for Barnardo’s North-East said: “It is both frightening and terribly worrying that security devices in people’s homes, meant for parents to keep their children safe, can be hacked into in this way.

“Any parent would be understandably devastated to think their homes had been invaded in this manner and their children watched.”

An estimated 350,000 cameras were sold in the country last year. Many people do not change the default password after buying the devices – leaving them exposed to hacking.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) warned that people were also vulnerable if they use webcams to monitor their homes remotely while they are away, viewing the footage over the internet.

Simon Rice, ICO group manager for technology, said: “You may think that having to type in an obscure web address to access the footage provides some level of protection. However, this will not protect you from the remote software that hackers often use to scan the internet for vulnerable devices.”

Emma Carr, director of Big Brother Watch, added: “This warning from the ICO should come as a timely wake-up call that the public need to start educating themselves about the technology they are bringing into their homes and how to keep it secure."

If the website had been based in the UK it would be illegal, breaching the Data Protection Act.

The site lists tens of thousands of feeds from countries across the world. It includes listings for 4,591 cameras in the US, 2,059 in France and 1,576 in the Netherlands.