More than 250,000 people have watched on line video of the moment a man from March and another from Outwell were confronted by a team of viglinate paedophile hunters.

‘Keeping Kids Safe’ streamed both events live through Facebook and viewers were able to see the reactions of both men when questioned by the volunteer group.

The 50-year-old the team confronted in March was challenged over allegations that he had arranged to meet what he thought was an 11-year-old girl he had met in an on line chat group.

The 11-year-old was, in fact, a decoy used by the Keeping Kids Safe group who kept numerous messages which the March man had exchanged. They also questioned him about images he had allegedly exchanged, and whether he had shared images and messages with any other girls.

The filming attracted furious exchanges from neighbours who shouted abuse when they heard what the commotion was about.

The film included footage of police arriving at the house and taking the man to March police station for question.

The team from Keeping Kids Safe told the March man during the on line confrontation that they retained four indecent images which he had allegedly sent to the 11-year-old. On camera they read out to the man some of the messages he had allegedly sent.

They also tackled the man with allegations they had information that he had chatted with up to half a dozen other children on line.

The team from Keeping Kids Safe were emphatic they wanted to protect the man’s family and on Facebook Live they urged viewers to not identify the man’s address.

Images allegedly sent by the man to the 11-year-old were being made available by Keeping Kids Safe to Cambs police.

The live streaming showed the moment police arrived and took the man aside for questioning before taking him to March Police Station.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Constabulary said: “We were contacted at 8pm on September to an address in March with reports of child abuse.

“Officers attended the scene and a man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of distributing indecent images of children.”

The man was detained overnight.

On Tuesday police issued a second statement to say he had been “released under investigation out of the area. Please stress it was out of the area because there is some concern for his family”.