More than 700 paedophiles have been unmasked using powers under Sarah’s Law since it was rolled out nationwide.

And that includes 178 in West Yorkshire, it has been revealed today.

Figures released to the Press Association show, on average, around five child sex offenders have been identified to worried parents and guardians every week since April 2011 when the scheme was launched across the country.

And police forces in England, Wales and Scotland have received 4,754 applications from anxious parents and guardians who want to know whether people who have contact with children pose a risk – meaning just one in seven result in a disclosure.

West Yorkshire Police have released figures for the past three years.

In 2011/12, they identified 51 paedophiles. The number dropped in 2012/13 to 31 but so far in 2013/14 the force has identified 96 offenders.

In England and Wales, Avon and Somerset Police have revealed the highest number of paedophiles at 42, followed by Devon and Cornwall with 39, Thames Valley with 36 and Norfolk with 33. A total of 49 identities have been released in Scotland.

The Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, known as Sarah’s Law, was brought in following a campaign by Sara Payne, whose daughter Sarah was murdered by a convicted paedophile.

The scheme is a watered-down version of laws in the US under which details of where convicted paedophiles live are actively publicised.

Ms Payne, whose eight-year-old daughter was found in a field near Pulborough, West Sussex, after she was killed by convicted paedophile Roy Whiting in July 2000, led a high-profile campaign calling for a British equivalent.

Under the Home Office scheme, parents can ask police about anyone with access to their children and officers will reveal details confidentially if they think it is in the child’s interests.