The NSPCC is calling for urgent action to stamp out the illegal trade in child abuse images after 81 arrests were made in Surrey in the last year.

In response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, Surrey Police said it would take too long to see how many pictures of children being sexually abused they had accumulated during investigations.

The FoI revealed 81 people were arrested last year in Surrey for taking, ossessing or distributing indecent images of children.

There have been several court cases this year involving huge amounts of indecent images of children, including one man in Surrey who was found guilty of possessing more than 5,000 indecent images and 100 videos.

Julie Cole, regional head of service for south London and the south-east, said: “The authorities are working hard to clamp down on this but there are still far too many pictures available.

“It’s time the government and industry got together to find an answer to this corrosive problem which cannot be allowed to continue.”