HOME OFFICE officials knew about the Rotherham sex abuse scandal 16 years ago, a bombshell report revealed yesterday.

Furious MPs demanded answers as an investigation detailed civil servants writing about allegations surrounding the exploitation of young girls in the South Yorkshire town.

2 Furious MP Sarah Champion accused the Home Office of knowing details about the scandal long before it was made public Credit: PA:Press Association

The full details of the scandal only exploded in 2012 when leaked police files revealed harrowing details of grooming by locals of vulnerable girls forced to have sex with them.

An investigation yesterday found that details were available to officials which could have been followed up.

One civil servant mentioned claims about a taxi firm employing men “actively involved in grooming” girls in a letter to the University of Luton, who had been commissioned to research child sexual exploitation.

Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, stormed: “It is clear that the Home Office knew about child sexual exploitation in Rotherham from 2002.

2 Home Secretary Sajid Javid believes it was clear information about the exploitation of the girls was available to the Home Office Credit: Getty Images - Getty

“Why when so many in authority knew the scale and severity of this crime did it take until 2014 for a large scale investigation to occur?

“How many lives could have been protected if swift action had been taken a decade before?”

The newly published review was ordered by Theresa May has Home Secretary following the Jay Report into the scandal in 2014, which estimated 1,400 children had been abused, groomed and trafficked by gangs in the town.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said it was clear “pieces of information questioning the response of statutory services were available to the Home Office”.

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He said: “This means that opportunities to follow up on, or seek further information about, matters in Rotherham, including whether the police and other statutory agencies were responding appropriately, existed.”

He said: “The Permanent Secretary and I take this issue extremely seriously and the Home Office will continue to promote amongst all staff the vital importance of using all available information to consider if a child is at risk of abuse.”

Sammy Woodward slams South Yorkshire Police for ruling out further investigation against senior figures at Rotherham