A "disturbing" 163 per cent increase in the number of sexual offences against children has been recorded by Herts Police.

New figures show 857 reports were made in the county in the year 2013/14 - compared to 326 in the previous financial year.

Children's charity the NSPCC said last year they also had 82 calls from people in Hertfordshire to its helpline about sexual abuse that were so serious they had to be immediately referred to the police or children's services.

NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said it is not clear why the number of offences has risen.

He suggested a greater awareness may be giving more victims the courage to come forward, including those reporting historical cases, or police forces have improved their recording methods.

However, he criticised the lack of support to help abused children who do speak out to recover from their ordeal.

Mr Wanless said: "These figures are disturbing and clearly illustrate child sexual abuse is a continuing and widespread problem that needs urgent action.

"But we know this is still only a fraction of the true number of victims because some endure an agonising wait of many years before telling anyone - and others never reveal what has happened to them."

Herts Police said they have set up a number of specialist teams in the last two years to help the growing numbers of victims, including units focused on investigating historic child abuse, child sexual exploitation and online safeguarding.

Chief Inspector Dave Newsome, who leads the Protecting Vulnerable People Unit, said: ‘In Hertfordshire, we work extremely closely with our many partners, particularly Hertfordshire Children’s Services.

"Over the past two years, the Constabulary has developed and embedded a number of specialist teams that are wholly involved in the protection of children in the county.

"We have a specialist team that investigate reports of historic child abuse, and in a number of cases, this involves investigating criminal offences from as far back as the 1960s and 1970s.

"We also have specialist teams deployed to respond to reports of Child Sexual Exploitation, both in terms of protecting children, and identifying and bringing offenders to justice.

"The initiative developed by the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board, ‘Say Something if you See Something’, has raised public and business awareness to potential Child Sexual Exploitation in the county and encourages people to report this crime.

"Our Online Safeguarding Children Team concentrate on identifying offenders online, and who might be involved in exploiting or grooming children in Hertfordshire.

"Finally, our Joint Child Protection Team, and which comprises of specialist police officers and social workers, work on a daily basis to protect vulnerable children.

"This means that any early suspicions that a child may be at risk can be identified, assessed and addressed by police officers and social workers taking swift and decisive action.

"Hertfordshire, in common with national trends, is seeing growing numbers of referrals that raise concerns about a child’s well-being.

"We recognise how, today, fellow professionals are more confident in raising concerns, and it is clear that growing numbers of victims, both past and present, are aware of the specialist teams and specialist services that are available to them and that they will be listened to.

"One initiative in Hertfordshire deals exclusively with cases of repeat ‘missing from home children’. So all partners come together, looking far and wide at introducing support to both