The scheme will be launched just before Christmas to enlist Internet users in tracking down children who have gone astray.

This is believed to be the first scheme of its kind in the UK, although a number of child welfare organisations in the US are already displaying pictures of missing children on their sites.

Last year around 80,000 children were reported missing in the Metropolitan Police area alone. The police managed to clear up many of the cases within hours, but by the end of the year, 80 children remained unaccounted for.

Some of the children are older teenagers who are believed to have run away from home, but the police file also includes much younger children who are feared to have been abducted in child custody battles.

National scheme?

The pilot scheme, which is being pioneered by Scotland Yard's Missing Persons Bureau and Hertfordshire police, will feature photos and details of between six and 10 children at any one time.

Police will monitor the number of visitors to the site, and if it proves a success, the scheme could be extended nationwide, and also expand to show details of missing adults.

The Met's Detective Superintendent Ian Brown said: "Thankfully we do not have too many missing children to include on the site, and we will only give out details with the approval of the child's family.

"But if we can find just one of them, then the work will have been worth it."

The Website - www.missingkids.co.uk - will go live on 18 December.