Breakthrough thwarts thousands seeking child porn

Thousands of people are being prevented from accessing hardcore child pornography on the internet every day, it emerged today.

Thousands of people are being prevented from accessing hardcore child pornography on the internet every day, it emerged today.

British Telecom has stopped 200,000 attempts to access such images in just three weeks by using new technology.

The exact number of people trying to look at the sites is unclear because some may be making repeated attempts. But the real figure is likely to be far higher as BT is just one of a number of companies providing internet access.

BT said it was surprised at the high number of attempts to access sites. And it has offered to help other internet service providers block access.

The Home Office Minister Paul Goggins applauded BT's efforts but said he was "deeply shocked" by the findings. He urged other companies to take up BT's offer of help.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, he added: "Every image of a child that appears on the internet is a picture of a child that has been abused and that must remain firmly fixed in our minds as a key priority for taking the actions that we are determined to take."