Personal details stolen with laptop

The computer contained information belonging to customers of A4e's Community Legal Advice Centres (CLACs) in Hull and Leicester.

It was stolen from an A4e employee's London home and contained names, postcodes, dates of birth and any possible awards made by a court relating to around 13,000 people in Hull and 11,000 people in Leicester.

The company has written to all customers whose personal data was contained on the laptop to inform them about the burglary.

A spokeswoman for A4e said the company had been advised the "risk of illegal use is low" and is examining how its data security procedures were breached to ensure such an incident does not happen again.

Bob Martin, group chief executive of A4e, said: "We sincerely apologise to all those affected by this incident. It should not have happened.

"While we are advised that the risk to clients is low, we are taking every precaution to ensure their interests are protected."

The spokeswoman said the police investigation found the burglary was opportunistic and the Information Commissioner had been informed.

Anyone potentially affected can call the free-of-charge helpline on 0808 156 6460.