SEX with boys as young as 13 is being advertised for sale on the Internet, according to research by a leading children's charity.

Work carried out on Teesside has pointed to an extensive maze of web chatrooms which conceal a network of boys and young men who are being forced into prostitution.

The discovery has prompted Barnardo's to set up a project to work with young men who have been lured into the trade, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK outside London.

The move comes after a number of young men asked for help from a Barnardo's initiative established to help young female prostitutes in Middlesbrough.

Project worker Ady Davis said that from talking to these young men, and evidence from female prostitutes, it became clear there was a need to focus specifically on male prostitution.

"We began to get more and more male referrals and decided that some work really needed to be done on how big the problem of young men and boys abused through prostitution really was," he said.

"We are going to look at what is available in terms of help and support for boys, as well as go out and make contact with boys and young men selling their services."

He said one problem with establishing contact with male prostitutes was that often the trade went on behind closed doors.

"There is not so much of a street scene as with the young girls," said Mr Davis. "Young men selling sex on the streets are very rare.

"But we don't know how large or small the problem may be. What we already know could be the tip of the iceberg."

He said he aimed to use Internet chatrooms to try to make contact with young men who want help.

As well as the work in Middlesbrough, the project will also aim to discover if there is a similar problem in Newcastle.