More and more parents in Hertfordshire have been told by police that an individual with access to their child or children is a sex offender.

Under the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, also known as Sarah's Law, anyone can ask their local police force if someone has a record of committing crimes against children.

It was introduced following the abduction and murder of Sarah Payne, eight, by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000, who was jailed in 2001.

Such disclosures by Hertfordshire Constabulary are the highest they have been since the law was introduced at the start of the last decade – the figure rose from 10 in 2011 to 14 in 2018/19.

That is according to figures obtained under freedom of information laws by Portsmouth University's journalism department, which also revealed that since 2011 there have been 53 disclosures to parents in Hertfordshire out of 237 applications.

Between 2018/19 23 applications were submitted to the county’s police force. The highest it has been was between 2014/15, when 43 applications were made.

Even if an application does not result in a disclosure, those who enquired are given a pack with information about where to turn if they suspect abuse.

Hertfordshire Constabulary says it “welcomes” the applications submitted to the force with there being an increasing awareness around Sarah’s Law.

A spokesperson from the force said: “The actions of these members of the public have undoubtedly led to children being protected and helped to ensure greater public confidence in the police and other responsible authorities in the monitoring of sex offenders.

“In line with other forces we see one of the strengths of Sarah’s Law is that it allows any individual with a concern for the welfare of any child to make an application to their local police force.

“This empowerment of parents, carers, guardians and the wider public to take steps to protect children from harm, has seen concerns being raised by close and extended family members and neighbours.”

The force added that it has a dedicated co-ordinator role within its child sexual exploitation team called Halo, which works to root out those who choose to exploit children for their own gain.

Out of 46 forces across the UK, 22 returned comparable data, revealing at least 1,140 disclosures have been made to parents since 2011.

However, when including the partial data returned by some forces, figures suggest it could be much higher, with at least 1,427 adults informed someone close to their child has a history of sexual offences since 2011.

Donald Findlater, director of child abuse helpline Stop It Now!, said it was "reassuring" to see the figures growing.

Mr Findlater, who sat on the panel consulting with the government before the scheme became law, told PA: "I think the rise is demonstrating a level of interest in safeguarding children and seeking information greater than we have had historically.

"I would like to see this trend continue because it is demonstrating awareness and vigilance.

"One in 10 children experience sexual abuse and one of the biggest problems is people are blind to the reality of it and think, 'it won't happen around here'.

"The fact that people are making the applications demonstrates to me that people are aware that the children they love and care about may be vulnerable to abuse."