UN authorities have passed details of the accusation on to French leaders

The girls are alleged to have each been paid the equivalent of £6 afterwards

It is claimed a mission commander forced four girls to have sex with a dog

A French soldier tied up four girls and forced them to have sex with a dog, according to shocking new allegations to emerge from the Central African Republic.

The 'extremely troubling' claims come amid a growing scandal among UN peacekeeping forces accused of committing child abuse and other crimes in the African country.

Three girls told a UN rights officer that in 2014 they were tied up and undressed by a Sangaris (the French mission) military commander inside a camp and forced to have sex with a dog.

French authorities have been notified after a UN team received accounts that troops from the country's Sangaris mission forced girls to engage in bestiality in return for a small amount of money

A fourth girl also involved had died sometime later of an unknown disease.

According to campaign group AIDS-Free World, each girl was then given 5,000 Central African Francs - the equivalent of £6.

A UN official told AFP: 'We've received reports of cases of bestiality involving French troops but we have not confirmed them at this point.'

A statement added: 'The exact number and nature of these extremely troubling allegations are still being determined.'

Further incidents are thought to have been alleged, including against Burundian, Moroccan and Gabon troops.

Troops from Burundi and Gabon serving in the UN mission will remain confined to their barracks during the investigation of the claims against them, said the statement.

The abuse allegedly took place between 2013 and 2015 in the Kemo prefecture of the Central African Republic.

A UN team was sent to the area this week to interview victims and gather information on the latest wave of allegations hitting the MINUSCA force.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in August fired the mission chief in Central African Republic over the mounting allegations, but new cases have continued to emerge.

French soldiers as part of Operation Sangaris, launched in 2013 and due to end this year, are pictured in Bangui in September 2015

AIDS-Free World, a non-governmental organization that has been monitoring cases of peacekeeper sex abuse, called the latest allegations 'shocking.'

More than 25 cases of sexual abuse and exploitation by MINUSCA peacekeepers have come to light this year alone.

The UN Security Council is due to hear a report on the latest allegations during a closed-door meeting on Thursday.

The council adopted a resolution earlier this month that backed a new UN policy of sending entire contingents back home if there is a pattern of sex abuse by the troops or police.

A total of 122 countries contribute 125,000 troops and police to the UN's peacekeeping missions worldwide.