New sex abuse claims against the Scouts

The UK Scout Association has issued an apology

The Scout Association said it was 'deeply sorry for anybody hurt by the actions of abusers' (PA)

More than 50 people have instructed solicitors to sue the Scouts over historic child abuse, evidence from lawyers suggests.

The UK Scout Association has issued an apology for the abuse children were subject to during their time in the movement, and admitted that it has already paid about £500,000 in compensation to victims since October 2012.

It said there had been "inappropriate and unacceptable responses" to allegations at the time - which the BBC claims were not reported to police - but insisted they were "extremely rare incidences".

"We deeply regret this failure," a spokesman said, adding that the organisation was confident that mistakes of the past would not be repeated.

David McClenaghan, of law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Since the report on abuse in the Scout Association went out yesterday, I have been contacted overnight by an additional 30 people."