AN expert on so-called Internet grooming has cast doubt on computer giant Microsoft's move to shut down its chatrooms in a bid to protect youngsters from harm.

Alisdair Gillespie, senior lecturer in criminal justice at Teesside University and a member of the Home Office's Internet taskforce on child protection, said Microsoft had taken a step forward and recognised that there was a problem.

But he added: "I'm not sure it will make a lot of difference.

"Partially that's because other providers are still operating chat rooms but there are others that operate without the worldwide web.

"They aren't subject to any monitoring at all and thousands of children use them."

Microsoft's move follows a number of cases in which young children have been "groomed" for sexual abuse by paedophiles who befriended them on-line.

Last week petrol pump attendant Michael Britton, 51, was found guilty at Teesside Crown Court of indecently assaulting a 15-year-old boy from Darlington, after meeting him on the Internet and showering him with gifts.

And yesterday a Briton admitted in a US court that he had sex with a schoolgirl he met in an internet chatroom.

DJ Barry Beadle, 51, from Merseyside, was arrested by the FBI after spending several nights with the 14-year-old at a hotel in Iowa.

Microsoft plans to shut almost all the free, unmoderated chatrooms it operates through its MSN web sites in 34 countries on October 14.

The UK version currently has around 1.2 million regular users a month.

The only chatrooms which will continue either have their content monitored for inappropriate messages or will be run on a subscription basis, allowing users to be easily traced.

Matt Whittingham, head of customer satisfaction at MSN UK, said the company had had enough of its chatrooms being used for "inappropriate communications" and being exploited by paedophiles who were free to target children.

David Stenson, who set up a self help group in Middlesbrough in response to fears over Internet grooming, said: "Kids love to chat and unfortunately the paedophiles know this.

"MSN are one of the most popular providers and they are trying to get control of a situation which has got out of hand."

The Government plans to introduce a specific offence of grooming of children on the Internet which could become law later this year.