THE Jimmy Savile scandal has seen a 45 per cent jump in sexual offences in Welwyn Hatfield, claim police.

Senior officers say the publicity generated by the shamed DJ’s crime has led to more victims coming forward, with some offences dating back to the 1970s.

Welwyn Hatfield Chief Inspector Dave Wheatley revealed the rise at a meeting of Welwyn Hatfield Councils Social Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

He said: “We have a seen a rise of 45 per cent, that is 15, a total of 48 we are currently sitting on at the moment.

“I attribute that to operation Yewtree and certainly on the highlighting of the Jimmy Savile and the press coverage.

“We have seen a significant rise in historic sexual offences.”

At Thursday’s meeting it was also revealed that overall crime looked set to drop in the Borough for the ninth successive year in a row.