JACK Straw has called for “urgent and firm” action to be taken against any council staff found guilty of circulating an email containing a shocking image of a naked child.

It comes as bosses at Blackburn with Darwen Council revealed that the investigation following the suspension of six workers in its children’s depar-tment will last for two months.

Blackburn MP Mr Straw said: “The allegations are disturbing.

"I hope that the investigation is thorough and as speedy as possible.

“If there is any wrong-doing discovered I am sure that the council will take urgent and firm action.”

A leading children’s charity said the claims were ‘disturbing’.

One photograph shows an otherwise naked youn-gster apparently covered in sanitary towels.

His private parts are also covered. Another image shows three young boys urinating, one of them naked.

The episode, revealed by the Lancashire Telegraph last month, is being treated as a ‘child protection issue’.

Bosses at the council have now launched an investigation.

The e-mail, titled “Why boys need mothers”, contains 12 pictures of children who are misbehaving.

The images also include one boy swallowing a frog.

Claude Knights, director of the children’s charity Kidscape, said she feared the children pictured had been abused.

In a statement Graham Burgess, chief executive of Blackburn with Dar-wen Council, said: “A complaint has been made about use of the council's IT system.

"This is being looked into.”