Paedophiles will be given the same treatment as terrorists as part of a crackdown on child abuse, the Prime Minister has said.

David Cameron wants to close a loophole that allows sexual predators to produce and possess manuals containing tips on identifying victims, grooming them and avoiding capture.

Under a new law to be included in the Queen's Speech, paedophiles will face the same kind of punishment as extremists who download guides to bomb-making.

Mr Cameron told the Sunday Times: "It's completely unacceptable that there is a loophole in the law which allows paedophiles to write and distribute these disgusting documents.

"I want to ensure we do everything we can to protect children - and that's why I am making them illegal."

The loophole emerged after the intelligence agency GCHQ and the National Crime Agency found examples of the guides in the chaotic part of the internet known as the "dark web".

The move comes in the week it was revealed a prolific paedophile abused up to 60 children at a London school before killing himself.

William James Vahey taught history and geography at Southbank International School from 2009 to 2013.