The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised after it emerged he worked with a man in the 1970s who allegedly abused boys.

The claims have been made against one of Justin Welby's colleagues at Christian holiday camps.

Lambeth Palace said the Archbishop only found out about the allegations four years ago.

Justin Welby issued an "unreserved and unequivocal" apology on behalf of the church.

It comes as Channel 4 News is set to broadcast allegations John Smyth QC used the camps to groom teenagers, forcing them to strip before beating them.

One alleged victim said he and others were beaten so badly they had to wear nappies for the bleeding.

The Church admitted that it had “failed terribly”, as the programme is set to broadcast that the Trust had discovered the alleged abuse in 1982, but failed to report it to the police.

Iwerne Holidays, which now runs the camps, says the claims should have been reported to police earlier, and its thoughts are with those who've suffered.

An Ungodly Crime? will be aired on Channel 4 News at 7pm tonight and Friday.