DORSET Police has urged victims of sexual abuse in football to come forward, as it emerged that more than 1,000 cases have now been recorded UK-wide.

The force has confirmed it is investigating several claims of historic child sex abuse.

The latest figures from Operation Hydrant, the national investigation in to historic sexual abuse in football, show that 1,016 referrals have been received from the NSPCC helpline and from police forces directly around the country.

These are said to relate to around 526 alleged victims, 248 football clubs and 184 potential suspects.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that we had reports in relation to non-recent sexual abuse in youth football. At this time it would not be appropriate to go into any further details.

"We encourage victims and anyone with information about abuse to report this to the police.

"We would like to reassure the public that, when allegations are reported, officers will make an assessment of safeguarding risks and take appropriate action where necessary."

Chairman of the FA Greg Clarke last year called the situation the worst crisis in the history of the Football Association.