Judy Mallaber campaigned to have the Data Protection Act amended

Amber Valley MP Judy Mallaber said the legal breakthrough would help stop people accessing illegal pornography.

It coincides with other measures against child pornography announced by the government on Wednesday.

Ms Mallaber has campaigned to have the Data Protection Act amended and the change went into effect recently.

Under the Act, credit card companies are now allowed to withdraw cards from customers who use them to purchase child pornography on the internet.

Anything that can be done to make it more difficult for paedophiles to access child pornography is a step in the right direction Michelle Thomas, campaigner

An estimated 7,200 people in the UK were caught in Operation Ore - a police crackdown against internet child porn.

Ms Mallaber said: "At the moment we do well in this country in stopping those images being produced and distributed in this country through the way our crime agencies and the internet companies and so on work.

"But some come in from other countries around the world and the more we can cut down the ability to access those the better."

Michelle Thomas from Annesley, Nottinghamshire, a mother who has been campaigning for greater child protection, said: "Anything that can be done to make it more difficult for paedophiles to access child pornography is a step in the right direction."

John Carr, of the NCH Children's Charity, added: "Either the police or the courts will now be able to inform the banks or the credit card companies if somebody's been convicted of using their credit card to buy these illegal images."