Nearly 1,000 people have joined the Leicester Mercury’s Ban the Cyberfilth campaign to clean up the Internet for children.

The massive response came after the paper exposed how easy it was for children to gain access to sickening Internet sites.

The week-long investigation revealed that an estimated 71,000 children in Leicestershire were at risk of being regularly exposed to horrific sites because their computers were unprotected.

With a few clicks of a mouse, children can stumble on to graphic websites promoting subjects such as necrophilia, incest and rape.

The Mercury also showed how teenagers were bombarded with obscene messages in chatrooms and exposed the shocking pornography sent to children every time they log on via junk e-mails direct to their in-box.

Its petition is calling for the Government to make the Internet safer by toughening laws on “vile and extreme material”.

And it wants Whitehall to make it more difficult for people to send children junk e-mails and pop-up adverts promoting adult material.

Harborough MP Edward Garnier said: “I congratulate the Mercury on bringing to our attention the seriousness and the prevalence of damaging images and sources of information so easily accessible at the press of a button to some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

Trade Secretary and Leicester West MP Patricia Hewitt said the response to Ban the Cyberfilth was “fantastic”, adding: “I congratulate the Mercury on the campaign and I’m delighted so many readers are supporting it.

And Mercury editor Nick Carter told his readers in an opinion column: “It is no surprise nearly 1,000 people have shown their support for this newspaper’s campaign to clean up the Internet for our children.

“What our week-long series of reports did reveal was just how easy it was for younger users to stumble innocently into sites being stalked by some of society’s more dangerous elements – or that with just a few clicks of a mouse, children could stumble into horrific subjects.

“We are not alone in this campaign. Not only is there this huge groundswell of support from Mercury readers, we have cross-party support from local MPs. Conservative and Labour members are alert to the dangers and keen to see something done.

“One hundred and sixty eight MPs from all parties have already backed a motion urging the Government to restrict access to “corrupting and depraved” websites.

“We want our children to be able to use the web to broaden their horizons, forge friendships with children in other countries and develop greater knowledge and understanding – without the fear of being targeted, exploited or traumatised.”

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