UP TO five cases of female genital mutilation were disclosed to Bradford’s Hospital Trust last month.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would not give the exact figure because of the issue with identification, it said.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said it had no cases of female genital mutilation in September.

According to data published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) there were 467 female patients who were newly identified by hospital trusts in England in September as having been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM).

The figures also showed that 1,279 female patients previously identified as having been affected by FGM were being treated at the end of that month.

Anyone who is worried about women and girls in the UK vulnerable to FGM should call the NSPCC’s FGM helpline on 0800 028 3550.