Paul Hope, 31, was arrested in Preston last night.

We are appealing for help to trace a registered sex offender who is thought to be in the Preston or South Ribble area.

Paul Hope, 31, whose last known address was in Accrington, was convicted in 2010 of two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16 years and was made subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

He is currently wanted for a breach of his notification requirements after failing to notify police of his current address. He is also wanted on recall to prison after breaching the terms of his licence.

Hope is described as white, 5ft 7in, muscular build with freckles and short red hair. He is thought to be in the Preston or South Ribble area but also has links to Accrington and Lytham.

DC Dave Hanna of the Sex Offenders Management Unit said: “Paul Hope is in breach of his notification requirements and I would urge anyone who has seen him or knows where he is to contact us as soon as possible.

“I would also urge Hope, if he sees this appeal, to hand himself into the nearest police station at his earliest opportunity.”

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting LC-20160622-0710.