A total of 100 registered sex offenders are now living in North Ayrshire

And shocking new figures reveal that 340 paedophiles, rapists and sex pests are currently known to be living in Ayrshire as a whole.

The Three Towns has 26 registered sex offenders, with 12 in Ardrossan, six in Saltcoats and eight in Stevenston.

Elsewhere across North Ayrshire, Kilbirnie has nine, Dalry six, Beith three, Largs has five, two live in the West Kilbride and Seamill area and one listed in Skelmorlie.

Latest figures, released by Police Scotland, also reveal there are currently 39 registered sex offenders in the Irvine area, more than a third of North Ayrshire total.

Nine sex offenders currently reside in the Kilwinning and Auchentiber postcode areas, with five living in KA13 6 and four in KA13 7.

The figures, released under the Freedom of Information act, give numbers of Registered Sex Offenders resident in the post code area as of February 9, 2018.

However the data didn’t specify how many registered sex offenders reside in smaller communities, including Glengarnock, Drybridge or Fairlie.

Data for the postcodes of the Isle of Arran and Cumbrae were also not included in the data.

Police Scotland said: “The disclosure of a specific location alongside a number of offenders in primarily smaller communities, and in some cases rural communities, would lead to the individuals concerned being identified and their safety compromised.”

The information was extracted from the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) database which is updated on a daily basis as some offenders are added, removed or transferred to another area.

Sex offenders are monitored in the community under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) which involves the police service, local authorities, the NHS, Scottish Prison Service and other partners.

Police Scotland added: “Protecting the public is a top priority for Police Scotland. In Scotland Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), provides a comprehensive response to a complex issue, using professional assessment and management to properly target resources at those who pose a risk to the public.

“Police Scotland works in partnership with a number of agencies through MAPPA to ensure that all Registered Sex Offenders are robustly managed within the community.

“While we can never eliminate risk entirely, we want to reassure communities that all reasonable steps are being taken to protect them.”