REPORTED cases of child neglect in Hampshire have risen in the past five years, according to the NSPCC.

The charity’s latest figures reveal that the NSPCC referred 297 cases of neglect in Hampshire to the police and county council’s children’s services last year - up 49 per cent from 199 referrals in 2011-2012. There were also 38 calls and emails from people in Hampshire seeking advice about children being neglected.

UK-wide, the NSPCC made 16,882 referrals to children’s services or the police in 2016-2017, equivalent to 46 a day.

Child neglect was mentioned in more than a quarter of all calls to the NSPCC Helpline in the past year - a rise shows that more people are willing to speak up about the issue, the charity said.

According to the NSPCC, neglect happens when a child’s needs are not met and is down to several reasons, ranging from parents not having the necessary skills, support or funds to having mental-health issues.

A growing number of people contacting the NSPCC Helpline described parents as having a problem with alcohol and drugs, with some of them regularly leaving their children unsupervised so they could go drinking with friends.

One neighbour told NSPCC Helpline staff: “The children are home alone again. I saw the mother leave the house earlier this morning and it’s past midnight now.

“I’ve seen the children peer through the curtains a few times as if they’re waiting for her. She does this every Friday night to go out drinking.”

A family member of a suspected neglected child said: “His mother doesn’t seem interested in looking after him and lets him stay up all night - she has alcohol and drug-abuse problems.”

These figures have been revealed in the NSPCC report How Safe are our Children? The report comes as children’s social care in England faces unprecedented pressures, with more young people being taken into care and families needing support.

But the NSPCC believes the full scale of the problem could be much greater and is urging the Government to commission a nationwide study into the extent of child neglect and abuse in the UK.

Neglect can have serious and long-lasting effects. In the worst cases, it can lead to a child suffering permanent disabilities or even dying from malnutrition.

Common signs in a child who is being neglected include: poor appearance and hygiene (they may be smelly or have unwashed clothes); living in an unsuitable home environment (for example with dog mess or with no heating); being left alone for a long time; having untreated injuries, medical and dental issues, skin sores, rashes, flea bites, scabies or ringworm; poor language, communication or social skills, and they may seem hungry or turn up to school without having had breakfast or without lunch money.

* Call the NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000.