A SICKENING email virus with graphic descriptions of child abuse has been circulating in North Yorkshire, it emerged today.

The email, entitled "child pornography", seems to attempt to encourage people to purchase pornography involving young children with detailed descriptions of children being sexually abused.

Police believe the email may be part of a virus known as Exploitation, which is currently going around the world. It works by getting into your email address book and then sending the message to all the addresses listed.

Today, police warned people across the county with email access to watch out for this virus email.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Our advice is that if you receive any email that you don't like the look of, delete it straight away. Make a note of it and then contact the police.

"The main thing is don't open it. Delete it and get it out of your system. Don't take the risk of reading it."

Selby District Councillor Brian Percival said that he had received the email yesterday morning and that it had turned his stomach.

He told the Evening Press: "I was so distressed. I couldn't get past the first four lines as it made me feel so sick.

"It literally made me sick to the stomach. It is a gross invasion of your private space."

He said that he informed Selby police station straight away, who immediately sent someone round to investigate it.

Coun Percival added that he knew of other people who had received the upsetting email, including a father of two young children.

He informed fellow councillors at a meeting last night as he feared councillors who were in his email address book may have received it.

He warned them to delete it without opening it and then delete it again from their deleted items.

Updated: 15:23 Friday, September 06, 2002