THERE are 306 registered sex offenders living in Oxfordshire, it was revealed for the first time this week.

Police and the Probation Service made their annual report about the number of criminals being monitored under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) but have disclosed for the first time the breakdown in each county.

However, the region's probation service said although it knew where these people were, it would "compromise risk management plans" to reveal how many lived in Oxford, Bicester or elsewhere.

And the service reiterated it would never bow to public pressure to disclose the whereabouts of sex offenders for fear of vigilante groups administering their own 'justice'.

Paul Gillbard, director of offending for the Thames Valley Probation Area, said: "I cannot be absolutely confident as we speak where every one of the 306 are (but) if any are not at their addresses then action is taken immediately to locate them.

"What we would not be supportive of is anything that would undermine the ability of the authorities knowing where people are."

Earlier this year it was revealed British-born Australian paedophile Robert Excell had been near a primary school living in East Hanney, near Wantage.

Villagers were horrified to discover he was living in their midst.

Annual data from the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements or Mappa, showed the number of registered sex offenders in England and Wales increased by more than three per cent year-on-year to just under 30,000.

In Oxfordshire it means there is one registered sex offender in every 1,980 people.

They also revealed the number of violent offenders and other sex offenders jumped more than 13 per cent to 14,3176.

In all, there were 47,653 violent and sex offenders being monitored by Mappa at the end of 2005/06 - up almost seven per cent on the previous 12-months.

On Monday, former Abingdon curate Richard Thomas, 56, is due to be sentenced after more than 100 indecent images were found on his computer.

He has already been put on the sex offenders' register.

Across Thames Valley there are 28 'level three' sex offenders - categorised as such because they are the most dangerous.

Five have already been returned to jail for breaching conditions but Mr Gillbard would not release details of what they had done.