Chatham MP Tracey Crouch has revealed she has been sent a number of vile messages online, including one which said they hoped something would happen to her unborn child.

She is the latest female MP to share details of the abuse she receives online, after a BBC Radio 5 live survey of women MPs about receiving abusive comments and threats on the internet.

Miss Crouch was not approached as part of the survey, as she is on maternity leave but she said: “I have had abuse in the past, including being told ‘I hope you get cancer’ and that things should happen to my unborn child – as he was at the time. I often get called the c-word.

“I am not sure I’ve been singled out for abuse because I am a woman, but because I am a politician. I don’t tend to block people, just mute them so I can’t see the tweets.”

Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst said she received violent threats of abuse when she stood as a candidate in the 2014 by-election.

She said: “I have been appalled by reports of the violent threats of abuse received by female colleagues across parliament.

“I am pleased that female colleagues continue to use their voices to defend what they believe in and stand up to such abhorrent behaviour.

“I remain strongly concerned that cyber abuse continues to rise via social media, email and internet sites, which causes hurt to countless respected people, male and female, young and old, of all races and sexualities.”

Miss Tolhurst said abuse should be stamped out, adding: “It is below our level of society that this happens on an all too regular basis, but we will not let the intimidators win.”

Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, told the BBC she had been sent rape threats and that every fellow MP had been sent pornographic images with her head superimposed on top.

She said: “It makes me feel terrible. I deal with the abuse by not looking at it and blocking people.

“I continue to do what I do, otherwise the racists out there would win because what they want to do is drive women, in particular black women, out of politics.”