Girls of 12 were questioned about their sexual preferences by lottery-funded researchers, it has emerged.

Participants were encouraged to discuss their favourite sex acts and positions as part of a £242,000 study.

The initiative, financed by the Big Lottery Fund, was aimed at exploring young women’s attitudes to safe sex.

But the project has come under fire for involving girls up to four years below the legal age of consent.

Campaigners hit out at “crude” exercises which involved asking participants to create posters describing “What I do and don’t like about sex”.

They also questioned the use of National Lottery cash to fund the project, reigniting the row over the payment of grants to obscure or unpopular causes.

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