The number of sex attacks on the Tube has trebled in the past five years

There have been 1,899 sexual assaults reported on the Tube since 2010.

The figure was revealed in a report published by Buzzfeed, which also showed that the number of attacks is rising rapidly, and 564 of them took place last year.

Crimes include groping, public masturbation, public exposure, rubbing, leering, and even rape. What’s more, unfortunately the British Transport Police say 90 per cent of attacks go unreported, which means the real figure could be much higher.

In 2010 there were 198 sexual attacks on the London Underground and in 2015 there were more than 500. 58 of them were against men, though the overwhelming majority affected women.

The Central Line is the worst: there were 150 reported sexual assaults there last year alone. It’s followed by the Piccadilly and Northern Lines. Liverpool Street was revealed to be one of the most violent stations in London.

Over the five year period there were 11 reports of serious assaults involving penetration.

“One of the biggest issues is that women don’t realise they can report it,’ Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, told Buzzfeed. “I think there’s a real sense of normalisation and impunity that can be magnified on public transport. Often it’s very busy, which can cause confusion, and so jammed a woman can’t turn around and see what has happened.”

The British Transport Police said that in London, most sexual offenders were “opportunistic”.