ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

A quiet town in northern England has been exposed as a hotbed for hardcore porn and get-rich-quick websites in a surprising revelation for its residents.

Hundreds of people living in Consett, in County Durham, are directors of companies making millions of pounds from websites like amateurmilftown.com and naughtytrannyfun.com.

The former steel-making town, which is also the birthplace of Rowan Atkinson, was revealed as a hub for directors of companies involved in porn, dating, diet polls and travel.

Many residents were paid to send on post that came to their address – a way to get what they called “free money” – but said they were shocked when it was revealed what the companies did.

More than 420 Consett residents were signed up for the scheme, an investigation by Reuters revealed.

Simon Dowson set up the shell companies to help online businesses trade in Europe.

Mr Dowson said everyone involved was aware of what the business was, the Times reported.

"Any individual that was ever appointed to a company by us 100 per cent consented to do so, was aware of what the business was and received the fees for doing so," he said.

Consett resident John Mawson, 61, was a director of a shell company for years but said he did not realise one of its businesses was Thunder Flash Entertainment which ran porn sites.

Another resident, Emma Brown, 31, who was listed as a former director of a company running websites including amateurslutsociety.com, said she was in “complete shock”.

"I have never had anything to do with porn,” she said. “I am absolutely disgusted. I knew absolutely nothing about this."