WEST Midlands Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne has welcomed a report in the European Parliament that seeks to criminalise paedophiles who use internet chat rooms to "groom" minors.

The report, which was overwhelmingly adopted by MEPs, seeks to make grooming children for sex a criminal activity.

It also says that internet grooming should be subject to extra territorial legislation, allowing member states to work across borders in order to bring those who groom children to justice.

The report also criticises the seven countries that have not yet signed the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, which the UK signed in May last year.

Liz, who is a member of the European Parliament’s sub-committee on Human Rights and has been a long-time campaigner for children’s rights and against human trafficking, said it was vital member states work together to stop internet grooming.

She said: “The internet does not have borders; this means that there is nothing to stop a paedophile in another member state targeting children in the UK.

"We must make sure member states can reach across borders to catch those who groom children for sex and to close down chat rooms or forums used for this purpose.

“The internet is a valuable tool for children, it gives them access to information and experiences well beyond their local area, this is very important but we must make sure that children who use the internet are properly protected from sexual predators.

“I hope that the European Commission and member states will now look at how to best implement the issues raised in this report and will continue to work together to crack down on those who seek to abuse children.”