Hundreds of children who have been taken into care in Hertfordshire are scattered across the UK, it has emerged.

Latest snapshot data shows 371 of Hertfordshire’s 'looked after' children - almost 40 per cent - are placed outside of the county boundary.

They have been placed in children's homes or with foster parents in 34 different local authorities.

The majority of those children, as of May 31, are in neighbouring London (88) and Bedfordshire (77). 

According to data requested by the Local Democracy Reporting Service three children are 429 miles away in Scotland.

There are also children as far away as Northumberland, Cumbria, Wales, Lincolnshire, Kent and the Isle of Wight.

Council bosses stress they try to place children as close as possible to the families – and that sometimes an out-of-county placement can be closer than one on the other side of Hertfordshire.

They say that some children are placed out of county to be close to family or to take up a place in a residential special schools, specialist psychiatric care or criminal secure provision.

But they acknowledge that 18 per cent of the county’s looked after children are placed outside of the county because of a lack of provision.

Opposition county councillors say they are "concerned" by the numbers.

Cllr Mark Watkin, Liberal Democrat opposition spokesperson for children, young people and families, said: "The county council must try even harder to recruit more carers from all backgrounds so that our young people can stay near their homes, friends and schools. They deserve nothing less."

Labour spokesperson for children’s services Cllr Nigel Bell says there now needs to be an urgent report on the issue.

Although he accepts the county council has already made attempts to increase the number of places available within the county, he says more needs to be done.

Conservative Cllr Teresa Heritage, who is the executive member for children, families and young people, accepts that people may be "horrified" by the numbers.

But she stresses that the county council always does "the best" for children that come into its care and that it’s a similar picture elsewhere in the country – with Hertfordshire "by no means the worst".

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: "Wherever possible we try to make sure that the children we look after are placed close to their family and friends, and most are placed within Hertfordshire, or close to our borders in neighbouring counties, which may sometimes be closer to home than a placement on the other side of Hertfordshire.

"There are several reasons why children may be placed a more significant distance away from Hertfordshire, including being placed with friends or family who live in another part of the country, residential special schools, specialist psychiatric care or criminal secure provision.

"We also deliberately place some children at a distance from their old lives for their own safety.

"We are investing in a new fostering strategy to recruit and train more foster carers within Hertfordshire, and in creating an extra 31 residential placements within the county."