Twelve new alleged victims of child sex exploitation in Rotherham have come forward since last week’s report on the devastating scale of abuse in the town.

At least 1,400 young people suffered at the hands of predatory paedophiles in Rotherham over 16 years, Professor Alexis Jay’s report revealed.

South Yorkshire Chief Constable David Crompton was grilled by the Commons home affairs committee over his force’s response to the crisis.

The number of South Yorkshire officers dedicated to dealing with child sex abuse was now 62, he said, up from just three in 2010.

Mr Crompton had previously announced an independent inquiry by an external police force into South Yorkshire’s handling of abuse complaints dating back years.

Labour yesterday suspended four members who had been in positions of responsibility in Rotherham at the time of the abuse.

Former local authority leader Roger Stone, ex-deputy leader Jahangir Akhtar and serving councillors Gwendoline Ann Russell, who heads the town’s looked-after children scrutiny panel, and Shaukat Ali, a former mayor, face a party probe into their records.

The suspensions came as speculation soared that Labour would lose control of the local authority to Ukip.

Nigel Farage’s right-wing party topped the polls in Rotherham for the European Parliament and is already the official opposition on the council with 10 seats.

Sheffield Hallam University politics professor Alan McGauley said Ukip could even snatch what was formerly a safe seat for Labour in next year’s general election.

The suspensions implied Labour now sought to “rebuild its local operation from scratch,” he said.