Neighbours are the lifeline as more report suspected child abuse in the home to NSPCC

CONTACTS to the NSPCC from worried neighbours and community members concerned about child neglect rose by almost a third in a year as the charity warned that young people in danger must not "keep slipping through the cracks".

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Almost half of the neglect contacts from these sources were serious enough to require a referral to local safeguarding agencies for additional support - with referral rates up by almost a fifth on the previous year, the NSPCC said.

Last month, a safeguarding report into the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was murdered by her abusive father and stepmother, noted that neighbours had been fearful of reporting their concerns "about what they heard within the family's home".