Savile's headstone removed by family

The BBC is not being investigated, Mr Spindler said, but officers are working to identify any individual who could be subject to criminal investigation.

Mr Spindler said police will only launch investigations into living individuals about whom allegations are made if they get some evidence, which is most likely to come from witness statements.

The BBC’s internal investigations unit has passed information to Scotland Yard and is fully co-operating with police.

Calling it an “assessment” rather than an investigation, he said Scotland Yard will produce a joint report with the NSPCC to look for lessons that can be learned and conclusions drawn.

It is being carried out by a team of officers from the force’s Serious Case Team to help bring it to a “swift conclusion”.

Peter Liver, from the NSPCC, said the charity has received 40 calls in the last five days after the claims emerged.

Of these, 24 have been referred to police or other agencies that support victims of abuse, and 17 directly relate to Savile, he said. There were also 21 unrelated calls to the helpline stemming from publicity over the allegations.

British prime minister David Cameron addressed the issue of the prospect that Savile could be posthumously stripped of his knighthood. The move would require a change in the law as technically, when the former DJ died last year, the honour ceased to exist.

Mr Cameron told ITV1’s Daybreak yesterday: “These stories are deeply, deeply troubling and I hope that every organisation that has responsibilities will have a proper investigation into what happened, and if these things did happen, and how they were allowed to happen, and then of course everyone has to take their responsibilities.”

His comments came after the chairman of the BBC Trust gave his backing to inquiries by police and the corporation.

Lord Patten said the allegations against Savile could not be excused as behaviour from a time when “attitudes were different”. He told a business dinner in Cardiff on Monday: “It’s no excuse to say ‘I’m sure the same thing used to happen with pop groups and others at the time’.

"Those things may be true but they don’t provide an excuse."

PA