It emerged in spring 2006 that 1,013 foreign prisoners had been wrongly released without first being considered for deportation, including murderers and rapists.

In spite of the continuing anger over the issue, less than a third of the 1,013 convicts have been deported two and half years after the scandal broke and subsequently cost Charles Clarke his job as Home Secretary.

Many more of these convicts could now end up staying in this country because 90 are still missing, 31 are in jail again and 160 are still going through the process.

Another 399 have been told they can stay in the UK, including some who have been convicted of the most serious category of crimes, which includes murder, rape and armed robbery.

The figures emerged as immigration minister Phil Woolas admitted too many migrant workers have been let in under previous Government policies.

The Shadow Home Secretary, said: “It is outrageous that over two and a half years after the former home secretary lost his job over this fiasco just a third of these offenders have been deported and 90 have not even been found.

“Not only does this put the public at risk, it shows the government are patently incapable of getting a grip on this longstanding problem.”