THE number of children being groomed in Cumbria has tripled in the last five years according to the NSPCC.

From 2013-18 reported cases of grooming in the county rose from nine to 27. In total there were 72 instances of grooming brought to the police in this five year period.

The dangers posed by the 'wild west' of the internet has been highlighted by local and national figures as a potential reason for the sharp increase.

Loretta Blackburn, chairwoman of the Furness NSPCC, said: "Grooming is one of those problems that people think happen in other places and not in our home town. It is a very serious crime.

"With social media children are more vulnerable. Children can be groomed so much more easily these days down to social media. I think it is also a huge cause of depression in younger people.

"It is down to us, parents, families and school to keep it very much in the minds of children."

In light of these figures the NSPCC has called on the culture secretary, Matt Hancock, to implement a mandatory safety code for social networks.

Between April and December 2017 there were 2,996 cases of grooming reported in England and Wales. This figure includes sexual communication with a child, a new offence brought into force in April last year.

Within the first two months of the creation of the new offence, a two-year-old child was targeted.

Tony Stower, NSPCC head of child safety online, said: "These thousands of crimes show the sheer scale of grooming, where predators have either messaged their victim or gone on to meet them in person.

"At present our Government is only prepared to tackle grooming after the harm has been done, and its forthcoming Internet Safety Strategy has no plans to prevent grooming from happening in the first place.

"Culture Secretary Matt Hancock could change this and bring an end to the 'Wild West Web'.

Cumbria Police said it was committed to pursuing and prosecuting all offenders who thought they could prey on the young and vulnerable.

Detective inspector Charlotte Nutter said: "Cumbria Police take reports of sexual grooming incredibly seriously. All reports are fully investigated with appropriate safeguarding put in place and where a crime is deemed to have been committed, we will pursue prosecuting offenders.

“We work closely with health, children’s services and education partners, to raise awareness, provide support and encourage reporting. We also use multiple social media channels to provide information and awareness to different age groups.

“To combat online child grooming, investment has been made in digital media including new technologies and specially trained officers.

“We also work in conjunction with other forces to combat all child sexual exploitation via the sharing of information, and we are working closer than ever with support agencies to provide appropriate support to victims.

“Whilst an increase is always concerning, and we will continue to work hard to end this type of crime, it is not always entirely negative; the increase in the reporting this type crime is something we would continue to encourage."

If you have concerns over grooming please report it to Cumbria Police by dialling 101.

To learn more about grooming and how to safeguard children visit the NSPCC's website www.nspcc.org.uk.