I WAS contacted by a Basingstoke resident 18 months ago about the appalling impact of online ‘revenge pornography’ on women’s lives.

Posting nude or sexually explicit images online without permission was having terrible consequences for victims but was not necessarily against the law.

When I spoke to the police they said the law was a mishmash, that ‘revenge pornography’ wasn’t necessarily a crime and they often felt powerless to act.

As a result, and with the support of the then Lord Chancellor, I brought forward a change in the law to make this heinous act a crime.

The new law came into force earlier this year and one of the first cases will be sentenced this week in Reading Crown Court.

The internet is still a place where individuals can be bullied, intimidated and threatened and more needs to be done.

But this new law, making revenge porn a crime, sends a clear signal that this type of abuse is not tolerated in a decent society.

THERE is much about the internet that is good and enriches our lives.

So why do some people choose to adopt a different persona when they use social media and act in a way they would never dream of in the offline world?

I think that it’s wrong that people of all ages have to accept that online abuse is the price to pay for using social media.

Social media providers need to take this problem more seriously and stop people using their services to break the law.

As a society we need to say enough is enough. Anonymous online abuse is not acceptable and flouting the law has to be stopped.

Social media providers need to be made to verify the true identity of people using their services so that effective action can be taken if those individuals choose to break the law in our country.

I HAVE been working with a number of local Basingstoke residents on problems with the quality of new build homes.

Sometimes, existing statutory building regulation quality checks made before new houses are sold seem to be falling short. If you have experienced serious building quality problems with a new house please let me know.