A pervert who downloaded more than 2,200 indecent photographs of children over a four-year period has been jailed.

Mark Stephen Steel, of Edleston Street, Accrington, downloaded 336 category A indecent photographs of children – the most serious category – along with making 165 category B and 1,717 category C photographs, a court heard.

He was also caught distributing indecent images of children, in possession of a prohibited photograph of a child and in possession of 141 extreme pornographic images.

The 58-year-old pleaded guilty at Burnley Crown Court last month to three counts of making indecent photographs, six counts of distributing indecent images and one count each of possessing a prohibited image and extreme pornography.

He has now been jailed for 14 months. Judge Jonathan Gibson also gave Steel a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered the defendant to sign the sex offenders register for the same period.