CHILD cruelty experts have flagged up warnings over Worcestershire children - with figures revealing how scores of them are left unattended.

The NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) says its hotline has received 69 calls from worried members of the public since 2013 about unattended youngsters.

Some 84 per cent of the reports led to referrals to social services or the police, one of the highest figures in the country.

The NSPCC has urged parents in Worcestershire to be careful during the summer holidays, saying the data is worrying.

That call comes at a time when Worcestershire County Council is battling with around 700 looked-after children on its books.

Peter Wanless, from the NSPCC said: "Summer holidays can be a fun time for children but it's also when they are more likely to be left home alone as parents face increasing childcare pressures.

"This could explain why we see a spike in calls to our helpline during these months.

"Leaving your child home alone can be a difficult decision as children mature at different ages – there is no 'one size fits all' answer.

"But it could put them at greater risk of accident or injury.

"So I would urge parents to use their common sense when deciding if their child could cope."

Despite various debates in parliament over the years the law does not give a minimum age for leaving children home alone, but parents or carers do face prosecution if it puts them 'at risk'.

The number of children put into care in the county has rocketed more than 30 per cent since 2009, from 530 to more than 700.

Since 2010 bosses at County Hall have upped its budget for children's placements by £10.4 million to cope, taking last year's spend for looked-after youngsters to more than £35 million.

Councillor Marc Bayliss, the cabinet member for children and families, said: "I don't want to play 'nanny', what we don't want to do is be the overbearing hand of the state - parents are best placed to make decisions about their children.

"But we do need children to be supervised and safe, the summer holidays is a long period of time, so we'd urge parents to make the best decisions for their children appropriate to their age."