MORE than 400 people across the region asked a charity to help them or their loved ones stop viewing indecent images of children last year.

Worrying new figures have been released just months after the National Police Chiefs Council said at least 100,000 people in the UK were regularly visiting the internet to look at images of child abuse.

Within the last 12 months, 404 people in the North-East visited a website that supports those worried about their sexual behaviour online, or that of others.

A further 24 men from the North-East called a confidential hotline for help, with eight other adults ringing to express concerns about the behaviour of someone they knew, with the calls typically received from wives or parents.

The figures were released by The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which runs the Stop it Now! Get Help website and the hotline, which offers anonymous support.

Calls to the helpline from across the North-East represent 1.6 per cent of the 1,504 calls received across the UK throughout 2016.

Assistant Chief Constable for County Durham, Dave Orford, said the police were working to support survivors of abuse and target offenders, adding: “There are now specialist units and officers across the North-East focusing on this area and the work of The Lucy Faithfull Foundation has been key in helping make communities safer.”

Tom Squire, clinical manager at The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, said many knew what they were doing was wrong but struggled to change their behaviour.

He added: “We make sure these men understand the harm they have caused the children in these images and the consequences for them and their families if they don’t get to grips with their behaviour.”

Visit get-help.stopitnow.org.uk