PAEDOPHILES are preying on foreign schoolchildren learning English at Sussex language schools, police warned today.

A report says lack of regulation over host families who look after the children has left them vulnerable.

Arandom check on families used by one language school in Eastbourne found 28 hosts had convictions.

They included robbery, assault and drugs crimes and at least one for child sex offences.An international investigation by Det Chief Insp Chris Gould of Avon and Somerset police said the figures were "astounding".

He called for more regulation of the language school industry.

His findings, released today, showed more than 550 cases where children had suffered some form of neglect or abuse from their host families as language students.

Ten per cent of the cases involved sexual abuse.

He said: "It frightens me quite desperately that here is a way that paedophiles can get into a position of trust with children in an area which has not been regulated.

"A foreign child is thousands of miles away from home and is always going to be a likely target for such an offender."

Home Office minister Paul Boateng said he wanted to extend protection for foreign language students.

But he said: "If you're sending your child from Italy or from Africa to a family in Britain you need to check up on the family.

"That is not an unreasonable thing to ask a parent to do."

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