A LONDON man is thought to have been travelling to East Lancashire to groom girls for sex after meeting them on the Internet.

The 33-year-old from Leyton, North East London, was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police in the early hours of Saturday morning.

He was detained on Saturday night in Blackburn on suspicion of rape and a series of sexual offences.

Two Lancashire officers went to London and brought the man to Blackburn to assist with inquiries. He was traced via hotel records.

Inspector Steve Haworth said: "He was wanted in connection with a series of sex offences with a girl as young as 16 and members of her family.

"It appears he has been grooming girls for sex via the internet, which is how he has met up with them.

"He was detained on suspicion of rape. We believe he has been travelling from London to this area on business or some other excuse and staying in temporary accommodation.

"We made hotel checks and requested the Metropolitan police make the arrest."

The man was questioned by Blackburn police officers yesterday and was released on police bail to return to the station in June.

It is the second internet sex case in six weeks. Charles Trevor Monaghan pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with girls under the age of 16 in East Lancashire in March, after claiming in internet chat rooms to be from a modelling agency.

Rachel O'Connell, director of research into paedophile activity on the internet at the University of Central Lancashire, then warned people not to be duped by "social engineering".

She added: "Any individual can exploit people not just by the technical means of the internet but by the psychological means as well. We must all be vigilant of the scope of techniques people are prepared to use to get what they want."