CLAIMS that child victims of paedophile gangs were brought to Bournemouth to be abused have angered one of the town’s MPs.

Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood said a damning 114-page dossier – commissioned by Maggie Blyth of the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board – must not be allowed to “tarnish” the town’s reputation.

The report highlighted “indescribably awful” child sexual exploitation, and its authors say that some of the victims were brought to Bournemouth to be assaulted by their captors.

Mr Ellwood said neither members of the council nor police chiefs had been contacted in advance of the report’s pub-lication, and called for evidence to support the authors’ claims.

“I believe an explanation is owed to Bournemouth about why the town has been included in this report,” he said.

“To somehow label Bourne-mouth in this way without explanation raises serious questions.”

Mr Ellwood said he would be writing to the board to “demand an explanation”.

“We must know all the facts behind these allegations so we can respond appropriately,” he said.

“If there is action to be taken, then we must take it.

“But we must also defend absolutely Bournemouth’s excellent reputation and not allow this report – given without supporting evidence – to tarnish its reputation.”

The report found that as many as 373 girls suffered abuse in Oxfordshire over a 15-year period.

Hundreds of victims as young as 11 were groomed, raped and forced into prostitution by gangs of men “predominantly of Pakistani heritage”.

It also detailed the failings of officials, who were often “hostile” towards the young victims of the abuse.

Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said: “I’m confident that if there had been any evidence pertaining to Bournemouth – other than that some young people who were being abused had been taken to Bournemouth – there would have been separate lines of inquiry.

“Those would now be pursued energetically.”

‘Working hard’ to fight exploitation

Leader of Bournemouth council John Beesley said: “The first we were told was on Wednesday and so there’s a great deal more information we haven’t been given.

“Bournemouth residents were not the perpetrators nor the victims of what is a horrific set of crimes but we don’t know any more than that.

“As a resort, we have a huge number of hotels and guest houses and other establishments. We have been working hard within the industry.

“Only last month the deputy leader and cabinet member for children’s services, Nicola Greene, addressed Bournemouth Tourism Management Board on their responsibilities around children and sex exploitation.

“That was pure coincidence.”

Chairman of the Bournemouth Tourism Managment Board, Des Simmons said: “As an industry we do recognise the need to keep vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour immediately.

“In these historic incidents the perpetrators were from out of the area so would most likely have appeared to be everyday tourists.

“This partnership works with the council and will help business owners and managers learn what to look out for so as a town we can assist in trying to prevent this national problem.”