People living in Swale are never more than two miles from a convicted sex offender, it has emerged.

Seventy-four people found guilty of sex crimes currently stay in the borough, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

They include 12 child abusers, five rapists and 16 people convicted of sexual assault against male or female victims.

Another 32 people who were sentenced from crimes to relating to possession of obscene publications, although the exact nature of the material is unclear.

The remaining offenders include people convicted of sexual activity with children under the age of 16 and 13 as well as 13 acts of gross indecency.

If the offenders were spread out across the borough’s 144 square miles, it would amount to, on average, one sex offender every two miles.

The data was obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

But MoJ officials would not reveal the postcode locations of any of the convicts, citing data protection concerns.

An MoJ spokesman said the safety of residents was of paramount importance when certain types of offenders are released.

He said: “The only thing that is of concern is the safety of the public.

"There are rules about sex offenders.

"They have gone to prison and been released so they will be supervised by probation and there will be things like exclusion areas.”

The latest MoJ figures show nearly 15% of people convicted of a sex crime go on to reoffend.

One Sittingbourne mum-of-two, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I’ve had experience with this because a sex offender (who was jailed for 33 years in 2014 for sexually abusing nine young victims) lived on my road, which I found out when he was having his court case.

"It was terrifying that this man potentially could have spoken to my child.”

But she also said rehabilitation was key to keeping the community safe.

Another mother-of-two, Hannah Shemmell, who lives on Burnup Bank, Murston, argued every parent should be told if there is a sex offender living close to them.

She added: “I would not let my kids out knowing there is a sex offender near me.”