Children’s charity Barnardo’s has said it will be ‘working closely’ with police and the Department for Education over claims Jimmy Savile abused children in a Redbridge home.

But the charity has refused to confirm if previous allegations about Savile had been made and investigated.

Yesterday Michael Gove announced a list of 21 homes identified by the Metropolitan Police where abuse by the TV star may have taken place.

One of those listed was a Barnardo’s home in Redbridge, although the charity claims that it does not know which site Mr Gove was referring to.

When asked by The Guardian the charity a spokeswoman said that they do not know at this time how many sites Barnardo's has run in the borough in the last 50 years.

A spokesman at the charity's head office in Tanners Lane, Barkingside, said that allegations are being taken ‘seriously’.

He said: “Barnardo's takes extremely seriously any allegation of historical abuse from adults who were once children in our care.

“We will be working closely with the Department for Education to look into the allegations of which they have recently made us aware”.

Barnardo’s refused to confirm whether previous allegations about Savile had been made regarding its homes or how many known visits Savile made to them.