A former regional press reporter who later went on to expose the child grooming gangs scandal has died aged 60.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has led tributes to Andrew Norfolk, a former Yorkshire Post reporter who later achieved national fame with The Times.

Andrew, pictured, was the reporter who in 2011 exposed the Rotherham child exploitation scandal and other cases of on-street child grooming.

He died last week after collapsing during a routine medical appointment, just six months into his retirement.

The current Yorkshire Post editor James Mitchinson has hailed him as a “titan of our trade” while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “deeply sorry” to hear of his death.

Andrew worked for the YP from 1995 to 2000, during time which he was one of the reporters who uncovered the Donnygate council corrupton scandal, before joining The Times.

His subsequent investigations into the grooming of girls in the Midlands and Northern England ultimately led to formal inquiries by official agencies and prosecutions of the perpetrators.

It also won him several awards including the Paul Foot Award for investigative journalism and the Orwell Prize.

Said James: “Given the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is leading the tributes to Andrew, I think it is fair to say he was no ordinary reporter.

“He was an extraordinary journalist, a titan of our trade.”

Sir Keir, who was director of public prosecutions at the time of the Rotherham scandal, told The Times he was “deeply sorry” to hear of Andrew’s death.

“He wasn’t just an incredibly talented reporter, at The Times and elsewhere, he was driven by the desire to call our attention to injustice and protect the most vulnerable,” the Prime Minister said.

“His passion for supporting the victims of grooming gangs shone through, and he was absolutely integral to making sure we could change the rules to increase convictions of the vile perpetrators.”

Sir Keir added that he said he hoped “the difference he made to people’s lives are a comfort” to his family and loved ones.

Tony Gallagher, the editor of The Times, said Andrew was “without doubt, one of the greatest investigative reporters of our or any age.

“His tireless work exposing the evils of the predominantly Asian grooming gangs in and around towns in the north of England led to long overdue acknowledgement of the crimes, after the people who had been in a position to put a stop to it for years chose to look the other way.”

And Nicola Furbisher, a former YP reporter who worked with Andrew on the Donnygate story, said: “Myself and other colleagues at The Yorkshire Post will remember Andrew for his work on the Donnygate scandal, an investigation exposing corruption within Doncaster Council in the late 1990s. What a time that was.

“Devastating to learn of his death.”

Andrew’s first job in journalism was as a reporter with the then Scarborough Evening News after graduating from Durham University in 1989.

Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye, which runs the Paul Foot Award, described him as “a terrific journalist” who had uncovered “a really important story that is still in the news today.”

The Rotherham MP who campaigned on grooming gangs, Sarah Champion, said he was “just the bravest and most principled person I have ever known.

“His drive for the truth is a rare and precious thing, and I hope others follow in his footsteps, because we really need them right now.”