More than 1500 Scots sought help to stop viewing sexual images of children last year, it has been revealed.

A total of 1530 people from Scotland visited a dedicated charity's website in 2016 to access online help to stop either their own viewing of online sexual images of children or that of a loved one.

Another 78 men from Scotland called the Stop it Now! charity to get help to put an end to their criminal behaviour, with a further 28 phoning in over concerns about another adult. Those calls were typically from wives or parents of offenders.

Stop it Now! offers anonymous support and advice to those worried about their own online sexual behaviour or someone else's.

The charity has worked with hundreds of men in Scotland who have been arrested for viewing sexual images of children, aiming to help them realise the harm their behaviour causes.

In 2013, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) estimated that as many as 50,000 individuals in the UK were involved in downloading or sharing sexual images of children.

Stuart Allardyce, director of Stop it Now! Scotland said: "Stop it Now! Scotland has worked with hundreds of men arrested for viewing sexual images of children.

"For many, being arrested was a real wake-up call. Many knew what they were doing was wrong, but struggled to change their behaviour on their own.

"That's where our work comes in. We make sure these men understand the harm they have caused the children in these images, and also the serious consequences for them and their families if they don't get to grips with their online behaviour.

"Once they understand this, they become far less likely to reoffend. But there are thousands of men out there viewing sexual images of under-18s.

"We need to get to them too, to help them understand what they are doing is illegal and incredibly harmful to the children and young people in the images - and to get them to stop.

"People can get help via contacting our service directly, our helpline, or online - all support given is completely confidential."

Assistant chief constable John Hawkins, said: "Police Scotland is determined to work with our statutory partners, with support services and importantly with our communities to do all we can to eliminate child sexual abuse.

"Changing offender behaviour is a vitally important element of this work. Stop it Now! provides abusers and potential abusers troubled by their sexual thoughts regarding children access to support.

"In turn this can help them manage their thoughts and behaviour. Vitally, the service also provides other adults with advice and support when they have concerns about the online behaviour of others.

"I would encourage anyone who has sexual thoughts regarding children to contact Stop it Now! - child sexual abuse is preventable."

Stop it Now!'s current campaign has gained significant attention by releasing a series of innovative films, which have been viewed more than three million times since October 2015.

The films aims to deter offenders by emphasising that the taking of such images involves the abuse of children, and that arrest and prosecution can devastate the offender's life, resulting in loss of work and registration as a sex offender.

The films can be seen on YouTube by clicking this link.