French police have arrested more then 300 suspected members of a European internet paedophile ring.

Hundreds of officers launched raids across the country in the last for days to catch people swapping pornographic images and videos of pre-teen children online.

The swoop came after a tip-off from an Italian child protection group, which alerted police in January to a website with a link to pornographic photographs.

Police said that 132 of those detained across France since Monday have admitted that they had downloaded pornographic videos of young girls. Some also accepted that they had raped or sexually assaulted children.

More than 1.4 million photos and 27,000 videos have been seized since the start of the operation, dubbed “Rainbow,” which mobilised some 330 officers in 78 French departments.

A police spokesman said: “It’s men from all social backgrounds - teachers, IT workers, company heads, soldiers or workers. You find them everywhere and in all backgrounds.”

Twenty-four of the 310 people arrested have been cleared of involvement. One repeat offender has already been sentenced to 12 months in prison under a fast-track procedure.

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