THE number of registered sex offenders in the region has risen to more than 1,000 - but police said there was no cause for concern.

Figures released yesterday revealed there are 303 known sex offenders living on Teesside, 240 in County Durham and 234 in North Yorkshire.

The number of potentially dangerous offenders in the Northumbria Police area has risen from 338 to 434 in the past year, while the register of known offenders rose from 553 to 632 during the same period.

Both Teesside and County Durham have seen 37 names added to their registers this year, while North Yorkshire recorded a ten per cent rise.

County Durham assistant chief probation officer Sue Hine said: "I know there is considerable anxiety across all communities about the risks that might be posed by registered sex offenders. But we know who they are and where they are and we are able to manage them because of that. The reality is, the most dangerous offenders are the ones we do not know about."

Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Scott, head of Durham CID, said the increase meant more offenders were being caught.

He said: "The reason for the increase is the product of simple arithmetic - as more offenders are convicted by the courts and many of them are ordered to be on the register for life, the number will creep up year on year."

Detective Inspector Darren Best, head of Cleveland Police's Public Protection Unit said that although the number of registered sex offenders in the area had increased, Teesside was no more dangerous than anywhere else.

He said: "We take our responsibilities seriously, particularly in monitoring the movements of sex offenders to ensure the risk they pose is managed."

North Yorkshire Police also said their figures should not be seen as a cause of concern, but indicative of positive police action taken against offenders.

Home Office data showed that 45 violent sex offenders being monitored by police and probation officers in the UK committed crimes during the year. The number of offenders being tracked nationally increased 12 per cent to 52,809, including a 16 per cent rise in the number of registered sex offenders from 18,513 to 21,413.