Shock over data breach blunders - Telford council 'one of worst' in country

There were 175 data breaches at the authority between April 2011 and April last year – a figure exceeded only by Sandwell Council (187) and Brighton and Hove Council (190).

Of the 175 breaches, 150 were incidents where information was accidentally sent or made available to the "incorrect recipient". A further eight referred to the accidental release of personal information verbally, while there were seven incidents where documents containing sensitive information were lost or disposed of inappropriately.

For the other 10 incidents, information was simply lost or stolen. As a result of the data breaches, two officers received warning letters, another resigned during the disciplinary process, and one other is still subject to internal investigation.

By contrast, there were just three incidentsat Shropshire Council during the same time period. Powys County Council refused to comply with the Freedom of Information request, submitted by privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, because they said it would be too costly and time-consuming to supply the information.

Telford & Wrekin Council spokesman Russell Griffin said the authority took its responsibility for protecting confidential information "very seriously".

"Due to the hundreds of thousands of pieces of information received and processed by the council on an annual basis, honest human mistakes can and do happen. We do not believe – and the report appears to show – that many councils report on data breaches such as when a letter is posted to the wrong address. We have. And this accounts for only the councils that appear on the list of high instances of data breaches."