A third of stalking victims are men, according to new police figures.

The latest data has shown that 41 out of 46 police forces across the UK dealt with 1,800 stalking cases against men between 2014 and 2017.

But it is believed that in reality the figure is much higher as around 85 per cent of stalking victims do not report the incident to the police.

According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, more than 1.2million people were stalked in the year ending March 2016, with 759,000 being women while the other 450,000 were men.

Some 450,000 men (stock photograph) were stalked in the year ending March 2016, figures reveal

Figures obtained by BBC 5 Live Investigates found almost half (47 per cent) of stalking crimes reported by male victims were committed by other men.

The Freedom of Information request showed figures from 41 out of the 46 British police forces who were asked about stalking.

Driving instructor Bob Coughtrey, 53, claimed that his local police force told him there was 'nothing they could do' when he told them he was being stalked.

Mr Coughtrey, from Lancashire, said he was stalked by a female pupil who repeatedly sent himtext messages after she passed her test.

He said: 'She sent me a message which said "part of me wishes I hadn't passed my test, because I would have got to spend more time with you".'

Mr Coughtrey added that the messages became 'darker and darker' and said the phone calls went on 'every night' and would leave him up to 15 voicemails.

However, he said the police told him they could not intervene because she had not made direct contact with him.

But he later said he became 'vulnerable and anxious' when his former pupil arrived at his flat after she followed him home.

More than 750,000 women were stalked during the same year (stock photograph)

He said: 'I phoned 999, and within a few minutes a police car arrived and they arrested her on suspicion of harassment.'

She was given a restraining order and a suspended prison sentence.

He added: 'It's horrible. It's almost suffocating. It changes your life, how you feel about people.

'You feel as if you're not quite being taken seriously, because you're a man.

Sharon Stratton, from the College of Policing, told the BBC: 'I understand stalking is under-reported generally, and men report less than women.

'We must ensure that we encourage people to come forward.'