A business owner from Rochester became a victim of cyberflashing soon after opening a professional Instagram account and said the influx of unwanted intimate images from unknown men made her feel "dirty and uncomfortable".

But cyberflashing is now set to become a criminal offence equal to indecent exposure and offenders could face up to two years behind bars.

Cyberflashing involves the sending of unsolicited sexual images to victims through social media, dating apps or using data sharing services including Bluetooth and Airdrop.

In some cases such as Airdrop, a preview of the image appears on the person's device even if they reject the transfer request so the damage is already done, even if the person has rejected the image.

Jeanette Forder, 57, from Rochester, says she received inappropriate messages and pictures from men almost immediately after opening social media pages for her business.

The unwanted attention mostly came through direct messages and occasion the perpetrators will go through her website to find a direct email address and make contact.

She believes that cyberflashing is actually worse than falling victim to indecent exposure in the street.

Jeanette said: "It's worse because they make you feel dirty in your own home when it's just you answering your phone.

"That is your personal space and that's what happened to me."

She added: "I run a business where my details are out there there on public record and so they can get you in your home.

"You just wonder whether engaging with the person could escalate it.

"For me, that was much more violation than if you you're walking and somebody's whistling out of the car."

The constant stream of inappropriate messages made Jeanette fearful to open her phone or check her emails.

"It is all about control for some men sadly. They get some kind of kick out of it," she explained.

Sometime the messages would start off seemingly innocent and the men would propose a date, but very quickly they can turn inappropriate.

Jeanette added that the only way to overcome cyberflashing is to block the person straight away - although this doesn't prevent them from creating a new account under a different email address and name.

It's thought almost half of young women have been targeted and among teenagers this figure is even higher.

The change announced yesterday will mean cyberflashing carries the same maximum sentence as indecent exposure - up to two years in prison - and will come into force in coming months.

In addition, it will also mean more legal responsibility will land on social media platforms, search engines and other websites.

Organisations will need to do more to tackle a range of illegal and harmful content on their services.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: "Tech has the power to bring people together and make our lives better, but it can also enable heinous behaviour from those who wish to abuse, harm and harass.

"The forthcoming Online Safety Bill will force tech companies to stop their platforms being used to commit vile acts of cyberflashing. We are bringing the full weight on individuals who perpetrate this awful behaviour."