THE number of children being groomed for sex in the town soared last year — and hundreds of youngsters were reported missing.

Child sex exploitation in Bolton rose by 21 per cent — with police investigating 91 separate cases — and 360 children went missing.

An investigation published today revealed Bolton Council first identified the exploitation of youngsters as an issue back in 2000.

But Stockport MP Ann Coffey, who wrote the report, said the belief that the only people exploiting children were gangs of Asian men — as happened in Rochdale — was wrong and that often offenders were individuals.

Despite the hike, the council insisted that the problem in Bolton was being tackled.

Margaret Asquith, director of adult and children's services at Bolton Council, said: "The increase in numbers of young people accessing Bolton’s multi-agency child sex exploitation team shows that we have the infrastructure in place to identify the most vulnerable people.

"Any concerns raised with us by individuals are always taken with the utmost seriousness and fully investigated.”

Bolton charity Urban Outreach, which helps homeless people in Bolton, was asked to contribute to the report.

Its chief executive Dave Bagley said there could be some Asian men responsible for exploitation in Bolton — but that those involved came from “across the spectrum of ethnicities".

He said: “That was what happened in Rochdale but they were criminal men irrespective of ethnicity.

“We may have some of the same ethnic groups doing it here but we will have other ethnic groups and white English men as well.”

The increase was “not necessarily” linked to the recent high-profile child grooming cases in Rochdale, council bosses said.

Ms Asquith said the rise in children using Phoenix Exit, the team set up to target exploitation, showed the infrastructure was in place to identify vulnerable people.

Ms Coffey said that exploitation of youngsters had become a “social norm” in some neighbourhoods in Greater Manchester and that only a “sea change” in public attitudes — away from blaming children — would see the issue tackled.

She said: “My observations will make painful reading for those who hoped that Rochdale was an isolated case.

“This is a real and ongoing problem. I have been concerned about the number of people who have told me that in some neighbourhoods child sexual exploitation had become the new social norm.”

The report revealed there were 162 reports received by Greater Manchester Police last year relating to child exploitation in Bolton.

There were 788 instances of children going missing in the town, relating to 360 children, 97 of whom went missing more than once.

Police and crime commissioner Tony Lloyd, who commissioned the report, said: “It is clear that agencies that are tasked with keeping our young people safe have made huge mistakes in the past.

“The report makes clear about how far we have come since the terrible events of the Rochdale grooming case, but its recommendations must be implemented if we are serious about righting past wrongs.”

Bolton North East MP David Crausby said: “I am confident that Bolton has dealt with the issue reasonably well.

“With all these revelations we have all got to be incredibly vigilant to make sure that our children have been protected.”

The report found that only 3.2 per cent of victims of CSE in Bolton last year were male.

Seven out of 10 victims were aged between 14 and 16, with just 10 per cent in Bolton aged under 12.

Mike Tarver, of the Bolton's safeguarding team, said in the report that Bolton's safeguarding team worked to a three-year plan to prevent and raise awareness of child sex exploitation.

He said: "There has been a 21 per cent increase in young people accessing Phoenix Exit in the period March, 2013 to March, 2014.

“This is not linked necessarily to Rochdale case as Bolton has recognised CSE as an issue from 2000 onwards.”

Mr Bagley added: “It is not enough to say we are doing a good job. Even if you have one child being exploited that is one child too many.

“An increase in the number of people being reported does not necessarily mean there are more people who are at risk of exploitation. There are just more people prepared to talk about it. Bolton is no different to anywhere else where sex exploitation occurs.”

Police figures revealed there were 260 ongoing investigations into grooming in the region, which included 174 recorded crimes, 18 involving "multiple perpetrators" — or gangs of men.

Ms Asquith said that the council welcomed Ms Coffey's recommendations.

She added: "We are pleased to be part of the inter-agency approach to tackling sexual exploitation across Greater Manchester whose collective resolve, and persistence, will make that the case.”