Councils have insisted they take child exploitation 'very seriously' after an inquiry identified ‘extensive failures' in the way they tackle the crime.

A new report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse warned there was a flawed assumption that child sexual exploitation was decreasing when, in reality, it often went unreported unless it was connected to other forms of criminal behaviour such as county lines.

The report found perpetrators were finding new ways to groom their victims, including through mobile phones, social media and dating apps.

It criticised local authorities for using language that downplays child sexual exploitation, such as describing children as being ‘at risk' despite clear evidence of harm having occurred.

The inquiry also discovered that none of the areas examined kept data on the ethnicity of victims and alleged perpetrators, which made it impossible to know whether any particular ethnic group was over-represented as perpetrators.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said councils were 'committed to working with local safeguarding partnerships,' adding: 'Councils want every child to be kept safe from harm and take incidents of child exploitation very seriously.'