Many old police records relating to allegations of child sex abuse have not been kept by the county's force, according to a Hertfordshire charity.

The Sexually Abused Childrens' Counselling and Advocacy Agency (SACCAA) has found that Hertfordshire Police destroyed many records up until the late 1980s.

This week the force said that, prior to that time, it had been its policy not to keep files on routine police investigations for more than seven years.

But for more than a decade all police records have been stored on computer, and Hertfordshire Constabulary now retains files on child sex abuse for at least 25 years.

Det Insp Keith Tilley, who heads Hertfordshire's Child Protection Investigation Unit, said that in cases when information was not kept by police it was often still held by other agencies.

The issue came to the attention of SACCAA's chief executive, John Horsfield, when he pursued a claim for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS), on behalf of a woman who had been abused as a child, when she lived outside Hertfordshire.

Although the CICS agreed to investigate her claim, SACCAA found that the relevant police force's files relating to the prosecution of her abuser had been destroyed, making it harder for her to prove her case.

"We were in the ludicrous position where we could prove that the abuser had been sent to jail, but not who his victim had been," said Mr Horsfield.

The claim was settled in the woman's favour, after medical records from the time proved her case, but now Mr Horsfield is calling on Home Secretary Jack Straw and Hertfordshire's Chief Constable, Paul Acres, asking that in the future the police keep details of all allegations of paedophilia for at least 40 years.

Around 30 people in Hertfordshire are currently being represented by SACCAA as they file claims to CICS to gain recognition of the sexual abuse they claim they suffered as children.

Mr Horsfield said it was not always necessary to show someone had been prosecuted to claim compensation for sexual abuse, just that the incident had been investigated by the police or other authorities at the time.

For information about SACCAA's work, telephone Mr Horsfield on 020 8950 7855. Hertfordshire's Child Protection Investigation Unit is keen to help people who have been victims of abuse at any time in their lives, no matter how long ago. Telephone the police in confidence on 020 8905 1212.