A campaign by Bradford charity workers for a change in the law to get child abusers locked up for life has won nationwide support.

A total of 80,000 signatures have been collected by volunteers from Poverty Aid International in just two months since the launch in Bradford of the campaign to win the backing of one million people for mandatory life imprisonment for paedophiles.

The appeal won support from 1,000 people in its first day in the city and now has attracted backing across the country.

More than 2,300 people signed the petition in a single day in Newcastle.

The charity has also taken the campaign to other towns and cities across the North as well as the Midlands and Wales.

Organiser John Clark, from the charity based in Millergate, Bradford, said he was amazed by the success of the initiative.

It had been mounted by volunteers sickened at the devastating accounts of abuse by some of the underprivileged youngsters from Bradford and further afield who were taken on caravan holidays each year with people later convicted as paedophiles .

He said everywhere the reaction was the same and it was hoped to further expand the effort later this year.

Only a few people had refused to sign the petition which would be presented to Parliament once it had won backing from one million people.

"It's going great - we're getting the same support everywhere we go with people queuing up to sign," he said.

"Everyone has got their own stories to tell. We have heard some sad ones of people's own experiences or of people they know."

Mr Clark stressed: "This is not a witch hunt at all and we want to keep away from that. It's just what people want to see.

"All we want is paedophiles out of the way and off the streets to make them a safe place for children."

Bradford North MP Terry Rooney said the success of the campaign reflected the deep revulsion about child abuse and he intended to keep the pressure on ministers for action.

"I wish them every success with the campaign and will do everything I can to help," he said.

"I am regularly on to the Home Office about it so they are getting fed up with me.

"I think the message is striking home that this is an issue left on one side for too long."

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