One police report described an ‘organised industry’ of abuse in Rochdale (Picture: PA)

Vulnerable children were ‘left at the mercy’ of paedophile grooming gangs in Rochdale for years as the police repeatedly failed to properly investigate, a searing new report has found.

Local officers did not have the resources to tackle the scale of the issue – described as an ‘organised industry’ in one police report – and used the unwillingness of frightened young girls to assist as an excuse to to press further.

Hundreds of children were identified as potential victims of abuse by Asian men in the Greater Manchester town.

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A searing report has found evidence of repeated failures to investigate horrific crimes against children in Rochdale.