The Morkhaven Group found 70,000 images on the Internet. It sent copies to the British, Dutch and Belgian royal families and 1,500 parliamentarians, and said many photos came from Austria, but did not expand any further on their origin.

Group spokesman Marcel Vervloesem said some of the images showed "real torture. We have never before found these kinds of images".

The photos "prove that the longer these people continue, the more brutal they become to sell these terrible images over the Internet and elsewhere," he said.

Child protection groups have long campaigned against porn

"The public authorities don't take enough action to trace and punish the organisers and executors of these horrendous crimes."

Mr Vervloesem said he hoped that by sending the pictures and letters, it would prompt European leaders to co-ordinate their anti-child porn legislation.

He says they should clamp down on those responsible for making and spreading the images.

Prosecutors in the city of Antwerp said they would study the material before deciding whether to launch an investigation.

A UK body set up recently to monitor illegal activities on the Internet said paedophiles are turning to Chat rooms, after being driven from Websites and newsgroups.