Broadcaster Jeremy Vine has hit out at social media firms as he said his stalker had put out a video promising to be back.

Alex Belfield was sentenced to five and a half years last week, after being found guilty of stalking four people.

He posted videos and messages online about his victims and encouraged his followers to target them.

Vine told BBC Two's Newsnight social media firms "don't care" about hosting such material, leaving him "broken".

The BBC Radio 2 presenter, 57, said Belfield - a 42-year-old former BBC local radio presenter - had taken him to a "really unhealthy place" and described his YouTube channel as a "fountain of hate".

He said: "I was afraid of what he could do to my family. I was afraid because you have to think around corners with this stuff.

"And, you know, we've seen knife attacks on MPs, MPs being killed, people who are prominent being attacked. So I'm not trying to give myself undue status here, but I had to think this through."

Asked about the behaviour of social media giants YouTube and Twitter during the ordeal, Vine said he had been "amazed" how difficult it was to get YouTube to take action.

"They take down individual videos and then when he's convicted, they demonetised him. But half the videos about me are still out there," he said.

Because Belfield told his viewers to copy and share the videos, they will "always be out there", Vine said, adding "I've got to live with that".

"But the fact that YouTube hosts this stuff, they have no responsibility. They don't care," the journalist said.

He said he was "disgusted by their lack of values" and also criticised Twitter as he said Belfield still possessed an account despite being in prison.

Vine said Belfield had put out a video saying he was going to be back up and running.

He added while there were now restraining orders in eight people's cases he thought the one thing you could do was "deprive people of their platform".

The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Saini, told Belfield one of his victims had been "seconds away from taking his own life as a result of your conduct".