Police in Kent have lost track of nine registered sex offenders, it's emerged.

Forces across the UK were asked to reveal the number of convicted perverts registered as "whereabouts unknown" in January, as well as their names and convictions.

Kent Police said one of the nine wanted offenders had been missing for more than 12 years - but refused to publish their identities.

Four vanished in November 2005, June 2008, November 2014 and June 2016 and five went missing in 2017.

"Offences included exposure, grooming, gross indecency, indecent assault, indecent images, intercourse with a girl under 16 and sexual assault,” Sky News, which carried out the study, said.

Police said the information was "dynamic" and likely to change as arrests are made or new cases come to light.

Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Richards of Kent Police said: "We recognise the risk posed by sex offenders who have failed to register as required and use every tool at our disposal to relentlessly pursue these individuals and bring them to justice.

"It is important to note that the number of registered sex offenders marked as wanted represents only a small percentage of the total number of individuals who are currently managed by Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).

"Several of those currently missing, including the offender missing for the longest period of time, are also believed to be abroad and therefore pose no further risk to the people of Kent.

"However, we are not complacent and enquiries are ongoing to locate all of those who have failed to register.

"In the case of those believed to have left the country, this can include obtaining international arrest warrants and extraditing them back to the UK in order to face charges."

All forces refused to name the missing sex offenders, with most saying it would breach the Data Protection Act.