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Police fear children as young as four years old could be victims... as Gary Johnson says he is shocked by how long it took police to contact him

Children as young as four years old could have been victims in football's child abuse scandal.

The scale of the problem is much bigger than first thought and new figures from the National Police Chiefs' Council show significant increases in the numbers of clubs implicated, referrals, suspects and victims.

According to information gathered by Operation Hydrant, the UK-wide police investigation into non-recent child sexual abuse, 148 clubs are now involved, with 155 potential suspects and 429 victims, aged between four and 20.

Former footballer Gary Johnson  is 'shocked' by how long it took police to contact him
Former footballer Gary Johnson is 'shocked' by how long it took police to contact him

These figures stem from 819 referrals to Operation Hydrant.