Carmarthenshire County Council's spending on legal fees for child protection issues has nearly tripled in the past three years, local MP Simon Hart can reveal.

Figures gathered by the Carmarthenshire West MP under the Freedom of Information Act show that while the number of children on the child protection register has slightly declined, lawyers fees have soared.

"A lot of local authorities are having to spend more on child protection since the death of Baby P two years ago," explained Mr Hart.

Seventeen-month-old Peter Connelly died in Haringey in November 2008 after months of abuse by his mother, her boyfriend and their lodger.

The NSPCC and local authorities saw a rise in reports from the public about child protection issues sparked by the increase in public awareness.

In Carmarthenshire the council spent just over £111,000 on legal fees in 2007 but that rose to nearly £326,000 by 2010.

However the number of children on the register fell from 137 to 111 in the same period.

"It is worth bearing in mind that the legal fees are just one element of the costs relating to child protection matters, there is also extra pressure on staffing and resources to be taken into account," said Mr Hart.

He was alerted to the increase in pressure on resources following a visit to one of a GP practices in the constituency.

"They told me that the increase in looked-after children has added a lot of extra pressure on their practice.

"It is vitally important that the public and those coming into contact with children continue to report any fears they may have about their welfare and that the Labour-Plaid Welsh Assembly Government ensures the funds to deal with the increase in demand for these services are available."