LEIGH MP Andy Burnham is backing the call from the girl's parents for tougher regulation of e-mail and the Internet.

He said: "We have to make sure there are robust laws to protect the public.

"Nearly all schools have IT these days - and that is only right as we prepare children for the world of work - but this does emphasise the need for access to be monitored.

"Closing down chatrooms is a step in the right direction, but the issue of protecting youngsters is not just incumbent on lawmakers - the manufacturers of hardware and software also have a responsibility.

"I have raised these issues in Parliament before and I will continue to raise them in the light of this case."

A spokesman for the girl's school said it had always had strict controls on pupils' use of the Internet and e-mail but was now even more aware of potential abuse.

He said: "School policy is based on the model from the LEA, which is in turn entirely consistent with national DfES (government) guidelines. There is no evidence to suggest that they were not being applied in this case.

"We were aware of one occasion when an e-mail was sent from the school. Receipt of e-mails from unknown sources is notoriously difficult to police. Obviously the school is now even more alert to potential abuse of the e-mail system."