Thirteen children under the age of seven in Essex live in homes where concerns have been raised about members of their family.

A Freedom of Information Request by the Press Association asked for access to cautionary contact lists from Local Authorities.

Essex County Council do not hold a cautionary contact list, but compiled a list from social services in order to answer the request.

The council said 13 children aged seven and under were included on its list.

In a statement, the authority said young children included on the list had been flagged “as a result of concerns about other people in their households/families”

This included a four-year-old flagged up as living in a family at risk of physically or sexually threatening visitors, as well as two three-year-olds whose family had been violent to staff or other professionals.

The youngest people on their list were three one-year-olds, whose families have been flagged up as being consistently verbally threatening, and for violence.

At the other end of the scale, a 103-year-old was included on the list for being physically or sexually threatening.

The person had been on the list since June 2009.

A 46-year-old had been on the list, again for being physically or sexually threatening, since January 2001, the authority said.

Essex County Council insisted individuals are notified if a marker has been placed on their record, and that social care records are regularly reviewed.

An Essex County Council spokesman said: “It is important to emphasise that the list provided has been compiled specifically in response to the Freedom of Information Act request and we do not hold a cautionary contact list.

“The records used to compile the list come from our social services database, where people can be flagged if concerns are raised.

“We have a duty of care to our employees and take their safety extremely seriously. It is very important that appropriate measures are in place to make them aware of risks and protect them from potential harm.

“We are satisfied we are compliant with Data Protection legislation.”

A Local Government Association spokesman said: “Councils have a duty of care to their employees to ensure they are safe and aware of risks when carrying out their work.

“Local authorities keep cautionary contacts lists purely to protect staff who are in regular contact with local residents and businesses.”