463 Lothians sex offenders

THE number of convicted sex offenders living in the Lothians reached 463 in January, new figures have revealed.

The figures, published by Lothian and Borders Police, showed that 300 sex offenders were living in Edinburgh while 80 were living in West Lothian.

A total of 83 sex offenders were living in Midlothian and East Lothian.

Meanwhile, another 142 sex offenders from the force area were currently serving a prison sentence.

At the end of last month, a new protection scheme was rolled out across the Lothians enabling parents to check with police whether sex offenders have access to their children.

The initiative allows parents and guardians to ask police if a person in contact with their child has a record of offences that might put them at risk.