THOUSANDS of paedophiles, perverts and predators are living and working in Lancashire - with new figures suggesting the county has among the highest rates of registered sex offenders in the country.

More than 2,100 people convicted of sex crimes were managed by authorities in Lancashire under multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPAs) between 2018 and 2019.

Over the same period, three offenders were charged for further offences, while four had their lifetime notification periods revoked.

This means Lancashire is the place where the fifth highest number of registered sex offenders live, just behind London, Greater Manchester, The West Midlands and Yorkshire.

MAPPAs are a set of statutory arrangements to assess and manage the risk posed by certain sexual and violent offenders.

The arrangement brings together the police, probation and prison services to form a responsible authority to monitor offenders in each region.

Further analysis of the statistics shows that Lancashire has 159 registered sex offenders under MAPPAs per 100,000 people - the rate for England and Wales is 116.

Former East Lancashire police chief Bob Eastwood said the arrangements were an ‘effective measure’ for ensuring sex-offenders maintain law-abiding lifestyles.

He said: “Where appropriate, the arrangements can help make sure offenders are kept away from previous victims.

"The levels are as such in Lancashire due to the fact that there are a high number of approved premises in this part of the county where many offenders go to stay.

"Once they leave those places they are also more inclined to stay in the area.

"Asides from that, there is also the fact that many people who leave prison are attracted to the county due to low rents and the availability of multiple-occupancy housing."

Nationally, the number of sex offenders under such arrangements is growing and has increased by 7 per cent in over the last year.

The figures reflect a trend of successive annual increases and current sentencing approaches, according to the annual MAPPA report.

It says: “Additionally, many sex offenders have to register for long periods of time, with some registering for life. This has a cumulative effect on the total number of offenders required to register at any one time.”

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: “Sex offenders are only placed into the community after a risk assessment from both probation and police services, who monitor them while on licence and after their sentence ends.

“Their placement takes account of victims’ concerns and any exclusion zones that are in place to stop offenders going near to them.”