There has been a "disturbing" increase of children under the age of 16 reported being victims of child abuse across the county.

In all boroughs and districts across Hertfordshire have seen an increase in reports of children being victims of abuse according to figures obtained in a Freedom of Information request.

In 2012 there were 19 victims in Watford who reported to Hertfordshire Constabulary and that figure has increased to 29 in 2015.

Imran Choudhury speaking on behalf of the NSPCC, a child protection service, said: “These figures for Hertfordshire are disturbing and clearly illustrate child sexual abuse is a widespread problem that needs urgent action.

“Sexual abuse has a devastating impact on a child, and we urge all victims to come forward as soon as possible so they can get the support they need and offenders can be brought to justice.

“It is essential that all sexual abuse victims get specialist treatment to help them recover, but we know that currently these services are in desperately short supply.

“Across Hertfordshire the NSPCC has already spoken to thousands of children through Speak Out. Stay Safe assemblies to teach them about the tell-tale signs of child abuse.

“Any child who has been a victim can always call ChildLine on 0800 1111.”

Within Hertsmere the figure had increased to nearly double the in the four year period with 17 in 2012 to 30 in 2015.

The borough of Dacorum had an increase from 29 in 2012 to 43 in 2015 and in total Dacorum had the highest number of reports over the four year period with 114.

Detective Inspector Jeeta Aulak said: "The organisation as a whole has identified that the response to child abuse, in whatever manner it occurs, needs to be responded to effectively.

"Working with partners we have been proactive in tackling and preventing these crimes and bringing offenders to justice and we are constantly looking to improve our response to reports.

"Work has been on-going in the county for some time now to raise awareness of spotting the signs of child abuse and we are encouraged that the public as a whole feel more confident to report matters to protect vulnerable children, and increasingly victims have the confidence to come forward as well.

"We are committed to safeguarding children and will ensure we are doing all we can to do so."

St Albans and Three Rivers had the lowest increase with 24 to 26 and six to eight respectively.

However in 2014 Three Rivers District there were 14 reports made – the highest the district has had in four years.

Altogether across all 10 boroughs and districts the number has increased from 217 in 2012 to 300 in 2015.

The Watford Observer sent this Freedom of Information request to Hertfordshire County Council who said they were unable to give this exact information due to it costing too much money and time.

However, the county council did provide some information which revealed the number of referrals from other people including those over and under the age of 16 has had an overall decrease.

Richard Roberts, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services said: “Hertfordshire County Council works closely with the police and the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board to ensure the safety of children and young people throughout the county.

“While it is of concern if any referrals of child abuse are made, it is encouraging to know that children feel able to approach us for help.

"This reflects the hard work done by the council to raise awareness of abuse among children and parents.

"The Joint Child Protection Investigation Team (JCPIT) which has been in operation for four years – a co-located team of social workers and police officers – has also had a positive impact on joint working and timely intervention when disclosures of abuse are made by children.

“Schools have regular training on safeguarding and we provide help to deliver a quality PSHE curriculum which includes education on safe sex and healthy relationships.

"We have also developed, in partnership with school nursing, a toolkit for school staff to increase their confidence in talking to young people about sex and relationships and to provide support to young people who need it.

“To support this, we encourage schools to take part in our Healthy Schools programme and achieve accredited status.

"We have developed a website to tackle child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Hertfordshire, which offers information and advice to young people, parents and professionals.

"In addition, our Youth Connexions service offers workshops in schools to give young people the support they need to make safe, informed decisions about healthy relationships.

"The sessions cover topics including staying safe online, sexting, sexual consent and sexual violence.”