THE NSPCC is calling for action to reduce the number of children who become victims of sexual assaults.

The children’s charity has made the plea after new figures show more than 400 offences were reported to police every week from 2010 to 11 and less than one in 10 attacks resulted in a conviction.

Of the 856 Lancashire victims, 277 had not reached secondary school age and 76 were aged five or under.

The majority of offences, 578, were reported against 11 to 17-year-olds.

Bernadette Oxley, NSPCC North West’s head of service, said: “A concentrated effort has to be made if we are to start reducing this distressing level of offences, many of which are committed on extremely young and helpless children.

“The NSPCC can’t tackle this problem by ourselves. It requires a major effort from the Government and the public to give children the protection they need and to provide more therapeutic programmes so the young victims of abuse can start to rebuild their lives.”