GCHQ Spies 'Tap Fibre Optic Cables For Data'

British spies have secretly accessed fibre-optic cables carrying huge numbers of emails, Facebook messages and other communications, according to The Guardian.

Documents given to the newspaper by US whistleblower Edward Snowden suggest eavesdropping agency GCHQ can analyse data from the network of cables that carry global phone calls and internet traffic under an operation codenamed Tempora.

The newspaper said data had been shared with the organisation's US counterpart, the National Security Agency.

GCHQ, in Cheltenham, refuses to comment on intelligence matters but insisted it was "scrupulous" in complying with the law.

It is the latest in a string of leaks from Mr Snowden, who has told The Guardian he wants to expose "the largest programme of suspicionless surveillance in human history".

The newspaper said there were two principal components to the agency's surveillance programme, called Mastering the Internet and Global Telecoms Exploitation.

The paper claimed Operation Tempora had been running for 18 months.

GCHQ and the NSA can access communications including recordings of phone calls and a user's entire internet history, the documents suggest - and their scans apparently entirely innocent people as well as specific suspects.

Edward Snowden has been charged with espionage

Mr Snowden, who fled the US for Hong Kong after deciding to reveal the NSA's secrets, told the paper: "It's not just a US problem. The UK has a huge dog in this fight," he said.

"They (GCHQ) are worse than the US."

The Guardian reported that GCHQ lawyers told US counterparts there was a "light oversight regime" in Britain compared with America.

The newspaper said the documents revealed that by last year GCHQ was handling 600 million "telephone events" each day, had tapped more than 200 fibre-optic cables and was able to process data from at least 46 of them at a time.

The intelligence gathered is understood to have led to a number of high-profile arrests and convictions, including a terror cell in the Midlands. It is also claimed to have led to the arrest of London-based individuals planning attacks prior to last year's Olympic Games.

A source close to the intelligence agencies told Sky News' Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge that GCHQ scanned data for possible indications of a threat to national security, and that most of the information is not looked at in detail.

The work is legal and subject to ministerial scrutiny, the source said.

Ridge said: "At the same time this is of course going to reignite the big debate over the balance between protecting national security and making sure that people's personal details aren't compromised."

Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch's director Nick Pickes said: "If GCHQ have been intercepting huge numbers of innocent people's communications as part of a massive sweeping exercise, then I struggle to see how that squares with a process that requires a warrant for each individual intercept. This question must be urgently addressed in Parliament."

A GCHQ spokeswoman said: "Our intelligence agencies continue to adhere to a rigorous legal compliance regime."

US authorities have filed espionage charges against Mr Snowden, a former CIA technician who formerly worked for the NSA, and have asked Hong Kong to detain him.

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Jeremy Forrest: Child Sex Teacher Jailed

A teacher who fled to France with his pupil and spent a week on the run has been jailed after admitting five counts of sexual activity with a child.

Jeremy Forrest, who was convicted by a jury yesterday of abducting the schoolgirl, pleaded guilty to the additional charges and was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.

During his trial, the prosecution labelled him a "paedophile" and said he "groomed" the vulnerable teenager.

The 30-year-old insists he still loves the youngster, who broke down in tears and told him she was "sorry" as he was found guilty of her abduction.

She did not attend court for his sentencing but in a victim statement her mother said she had been "robbed" of her childhood.

"I feel like the worst mother in the world," she said. "Someone has got my child and I never saw it coming."

Forrest is led onto a plane to be extradited from France last October

Passing sentence, the judge at Lewes Crown Court said Forrest "chose to ignore the cardinal rule of teaching" by starting a sexual relationship with the teenager shortly after her 15th birthday.

"Your behaviour in this period has been motivated by self-interest and has hurt and damaged many people - her family, your family, staff and pupils at the school and respect for teachers everywhere," Michael Lawson QC said.

"It has damaged you too but that was something you were prepared to risk. You now have to pay that price."

He added: "I have seen nothing in the evidence which shows that at any stage you tried to provide proper boundaries between yourself and her, to discourage her, or let other staff deal with the matter appropriately.

"Indeed all the evidence shows that you encouraged her infatuation and provided opportunities for her to communicate with you and be alone with you."

Forrest arrived back in the UK with his head covered

Rumours of Forrest's relationship with the teenager surfaced in February last year, when the pair were spotted holding hands during a flight on a school trip to Los Angeles.

The girl, now 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted having a crush on Forrest, who taught at Bishop Bell Church of England School in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

They exchanged flirty text messages, tweets and photographs but denied any wrongdoing when pressed by the school.

Fearing their relationship was about to be exposed when police were alerted last September, Forrest abducted the youngster and took her on a cross-Channel ferry to France, where they spent a week on the run.

The couple dyed their hair, assumed false names and dropped a mobile phone into the English Channel in an effort to avoid being caught, but were tracked down after a Europe-wide search.

The family of Jeremy Forrest give their reaction to the sentencing

In a statement read outside court, Forrest's family said he was "very sorry for his actions" during what they described as a "sorry episode for all concerned".

"Despite the verdict and today's sentence, there are many factors in this case which need to be examined and addressed, including the failure to properly act on early warnings," they said.

"We sincerely hope these are looked into and not simply swept under the carpet."

A spokesman for Bishop Bell School said the staff had only "very limited anecdotal hearsay and no evidence of relationship" when concerns were first raised.

He said that before Forrest fled the country, the school had intended to remove him from the classroom while an internal investigation into possible professional misconduct was carried out.

A jury took just two hours to find Forrest guilty of abduction

The spokesman said staff remained "deeply shocked by the actions of Mr Forrest and his betrayal of the trust that was placed in him".

"It is important that the strongest possible message is sent to all who work with children that they hold a position of responsibility and trust for the lives, and wellbeing, of those in their care," he said.

"We take our responsibility extremely seriously and our safeguarding policies and procedures are robust.

"However, we are determined to implement any learning from these events to ensure that all pupils at the school are as safe as they possibly could be."

Jeremy Forrest was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Ling, of Sussex Police, said Forrest was in a "position of responsibility, authority and trust over the children in his care, which included this young, vulnerable victim".

"He grossly abused the trust placed in him and his actions caused distress and anxiety amongst parents, family members and the school community," he said.

Nigel Pilkington, of the Crown Prosecution Service, added: "We're pleased that Forrest has been sentenced for the full extent of his criminality, sparing his victim and her family from having to go through another trial."

Forrest, of Petts Wood, London, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for each count of sexual activity. The sentences will run at the same time. A one-year sentence for abduction will run consecutively.

The judge also imposed a sexual offences prevention order on Forrest, banning him from working or volunteering with children and unsupervised contact with children forever.

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Fans Roar Support For First Lions Rugby Test

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Fans who have jetted around the world to follow the British and Irish Lions have brought the wet weather with them to Australia.

However, it hasn't stopped them singing, drinking and bonding in a wintry Brisbane.

It is 125 years since the first Lions tour and the fans are letting Australia know they have landed and mean business.

The Pig 'n' Whistle pub in the city centre has become the "Lions' Den" - feeding and watering the fans, making sure they get their pints and pies and that they are in good voice as the Lions take on the Wallabies.

Fan James Parker told Sky News: "It's been a great build up so far.

"We have been here for just over a day and the pubs are starting to fill up. Landing at the airport they had the bagpipes ready, so yes, there is a buzz around town."

Fans will be hoping the Lions can recover from their loss to the Brumbies

The unique nature of the Lions' tour means sworn enemies coming together with a common cause.

The team walking into the Suncorp Stadium on June 22 contains eight Welshmen.

One fan, fresh in from Merthyr Tydfil, said: "We are proud of the Lions, and we are good Welshmen, so if we win we are going to sing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - we will do it!"

The fans will be a significant force behind the British and Irish Lions who have never lost a Test in Brisbane.

In 2001, the sea of red in the stadium caught the Australians off guard.

Former Welsh international Scott Quinnell played all three Tests 12 years ago and knows how important the red army will be.

"When we were at The Gabba it was incredible," he told Sky News.

Welshman Sam Warburton is captaining the British and Irish Lions

"We warmed up inside and when we walked up through the tunnel it was hands and flags and you had to fight your way out of the tunnel. 

"You could see the pitch and you looked round and there was this sea of red.

"I'd never seen it before and I think that's when it started for the Lions and hopefully will see that again."

The influx of 70,000 visitors to Brisbane has been a major boost for the city's tourism industry.

"It's definitely one of the busiest weekends we have seen in a very long time," said Anne-Maree Moon from Brisbane Marketing.

"Our hoteliers are jumping through the roof. They have full occupancy and everyone is very buoyant and feeling great about it."

The Lions are favourites, especially because of Australia's recent history of embarrassing starts to a Test season and lack of a warm-up match.

With his Wallabies coaching career on the line, Robbie Deans has taken the punt on quarantining his players in a three-week camp to refresh them from the rigours of Australia's Super Rugby and fine-tune a more attacking style in training.

The midweek defeat to the Brumbies won't have helped the Lions' morale but speak to any of the fans in Brisbane battling jet lag and they will tell you that the Lions are ready, and so are they.

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Motorway Speed Limit Plans Put In Slow Lane

Plans to raise the motorway speed limit to 80mph have been moved into the slow lane after it was decided the idea was "not a priority".

The policy change was proposed in 2011 by then Transport Secretary Philip Hammond but his successor, Patrick McLoughlin, is said not to share his enthusiasm.

Mr Hammond claimed the 70mph limit, introduced in 1965, had been "discredited" and a rise to 80mph would boost the economy.

But the idea has been condemned by road safety groups and Downing Street reportedly feared raising the speed limit would alienate women voters.

In an interview with The Times, Mr McLoughlin said the policy was not a priority: "You would have to do trials in certain areas so it's not something that's a high priority."

A source close to the Transport Secretary told the newspaper: "This is not going to happen with Patrick McLoughlin as Transport Secretary.

"Safety is paramount to him and his view of how to run the roads and he would not be confident about how you would do it."

A Department for Transport spokesman confirmed that Mr McLoughlin's reported remarks were correct.

The plans have not been completely abandoned, but are no longer a priority, said the spokesman.

Mr Hammond announced the plan at the 2011 Tory party conference, saying the 70mph limit had resulted in millions of motorists routinely breaking the law.

The 70mph speed limit was first introduced in the 1960s

He said: "The limit was introduced way back in 1965 - when the typical family car was a Ford Anglia."

He claimed a rise to 80mph would "restore the legitimacy" of the system and benefit the economy by "hundreds of millions of pounds".

But last year campaign groups estimated that raising the motorway speed limit to 80mph would cost society an extra £1bn a year, including £766m in fuel bills and more than £62m in health costs.

The groups, which include road safety charity Brake, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) and Greenpeace, also estimated that the higher limit would lead to 25 extra deaths and 100 serious injuries a year, as well as 2.2 million more tonnes of carbon emissions.

However, Neil Greig, director of policy and research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: "Once again we are getting confused messages from the Department for Transport on this issue.

"With a little imagination and some investment the Dutch have shown that you can have a safe 80mph limit on the best parts of the motorway network.

"What Patrick McLoughlin has learned from Holland, however, is that the policy was not as popular as the politicians thought it would be and they promptly lost the next election."

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "The real stumbling block is likely to have been enforcement.

"Police already tend to give speeding drivers some leeway, so it was quite feasible that an 80 mph limit would have actually meant 90 mph in practice and that proved a step too far for ministers."

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Football Streaming Website Faces Legal Action

Internet service providers in the UK could be forced to block a Swedish-based website which streams live football matches.

The Premier League is in the process of requesting a court order that would make ISPs effectively ban their customers from accessing www.FirstRow1.eu.

The planned legal action by the football governing body follows moves made by the music and film industries.

They have successfully blocked websites which offer the opportunity to download copyrighted material, such as Pirate Bay, under Section 97 of the 1988 Copyright, Design and Patent Act.

The Premier League has agreed a new worldwide television deal worth around £5.5bn over three years, starting with the new season.

BT has paid £246m to the Premier League for three years and BSkyB, the parent company of Sky News, has invested £760m in its football coverage for the next three seasons.

The Premier League has written to the major UK ISPs, which also include Virgin Media and TalkTalk, to outline its plans to apply for a court order to block www.FirstRow1.eu.

The proposals are expected to be put forward by the end of the month.

Should the court order be granted, the ISPs would then have to contest the application, or comply and restrict access.

It is understood that indications are the ISPs have no plans to go against any such application.

The Premier League has for many years monitored various websites during live matches and enforced the removal of any streaming content which breaches copyright.

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Jeremy Forrest Jailed For Five And A Half Years

A teacher who fled to France with his pupil and spent a week on the run has been jailed after admitting five counts of sexual activity with a child.

Jeremy Forrest, who was convicted by a jury yesterday of abducting the schoolgirl, pleaded guilty to the additional charges and was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.

During his trial, the prosecution labelled him a "paedophile" and said he "groomed" the vulnerable teenager.

The 30-year-old insists he still loves the youngster, who broke down in tears and told him she was "sorry" as he was found guilty of her abduction.

She did not attend court for his sentencing but in a victim statement, her mother said her relationship with her daughter would "never be the same again".

Forrest is led onto a plane to be extradited from France last October

Passing sentence, the judge at Lewes Crown Court said Forrest "chose to ignore the cardinal rule of teaching" by starting a sexual relationship with the teenager shortly after her 15th birthday.

"Your behaviour in this period has been motivated by self-interest and has hurt and damaged many people - her family, your family, staff and pupils at the school and respect for teachers everywhere," Michael Lawson QC said.

"It has damaged you too but that was something you were prepared to risk, you now have to pay that price."

Rumours of Forrest's relationship with the teenager surfaced in February last year, when the pair were spotted holding hands during a flight on a school trip to Los Angeles.

The girl, now 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted having a crush on Forrest, who taught at Bishop Bell Church of England School in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

Forrest arrived back in the UK with his head covered

They exchanged flirty text messages, tweets and photographs but denied any wrongdoing when pressed by the school.

Fearing their relationship was about to be exposed when police were alerted last September, Forrest abducted the youngster and took her on a cross-Channel ferry to France, where they spent a week on the run.

The couple dyed their hair, assumed false names and dropped a mobile phone into the English Channel in an effort to avoid being caught, but were tracked down after a Europe-wide search.

In a statement read outside court, Forrest's family said he was "very sorry for his actions" during what they described as a "sorry episode for all concerned".

"Despite the verdict and today's sentence, there are many factors in this case which need to be examined and addressed, including the failure to properly act on early warnings," they said.

The family of Jeremy Forrest give their reaction to the sentencing

"We sincerely hope these are looked into and not simply swept under the carpet."

A spokesman for Bishop Bell School said the staff had only "very limited anecdotal hearsay and no evidence of relationship" when concerns were first raised.

He said that before Forrest fled the country, the school had intended to remove him from the classroom while an internal investigation into possible professional misconduct was carried out.

The spokesman said staff remained "deeply shocked by the actions of Mr Forrest and his betrayal of the trust that was placed in him".

"It is important that the strongest possible message is sent to all who work with children that they hold a position of responsibility and trust for the lives, and wellbeing, of those in their care," he said.

A jury took just two hours to find Forrest guilty of abduction

"We take our responsibility extremely seriously and our safeguarding policies and procedures are robust.

"However, we are determined to implement any learning from these events to ensure that all pupils at the school are as safe as they possibly could be."

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Ling, of Sussex Police, said Forrest was in a "position of responsibility, authority and trust over the children in his care, which included this young, vulnerable victim".

"He grossly abused the trust placed in him and his actions caused distress and anxiety amongst parents, family members and the school community," he said.

Forrest, of Petts Wood, London, was jailed for four-and-a-half years for sexual activity with a child and one year for abduction.

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Lollipop Lady Who Shielded Children Praised

The family of a lollipop lady have praised her bravery after she reportedly shielded children from an out-of-control car.

Karin Williams suffered several broken bones in the crash outside Rhws Primary School in the village of Rhoose, near Barry.

The 50-year-old is being treated at University Hospital of Wales (UHW), Cardiff, where a schoolgirl remains in intensive care and three other youngsters have been treated for their injuries.

Mrs Williams' husband Lyndon told WalesOnline: "We are so proud of her and what she did ... we love her so much.

"She cannot remember too much about the crash at the minute but all she keeps asking about is the children.

The crash happened on a crossing outside Rhws Primary School

"She suffered two broken patellas (kneecaps), a broken elbow, a broken shoulder and she has a badly swollen face but she is going to be OK."

The 61-year-old driver of the black Audi that overturned smashing into the crossing where a number of children were waiting told BBC Wales: "I haven't a clue what happened."

He was taking his grand-daughter to the school when the accident happened. Both of them suffered cuts and bruises.

Mr Bell told BBC Wales: "I was stationary and my grand-daughter said I coughed and the next thing I knew I'm coming round and I'd been unconscious and upside down."

The damaged car was lifted onto a recovery truck after the accident

Police are treating what happened as an accident and are due to interview Mr Bell.

Rhws Primary School, which was open to pupils on Friday, is offering counselling to pupils, parents and staff who were affected by the accident.

Headteacher Louise Lynn said: "Children in school are coping well.  We are maintaining a normal routine as much as possible and this is helping them to manage."

Of the other casualties, a second adult admitted to UHW has been discharged.

A woman remains in a "comfortable and satisfactory condition" at Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, where another adult and a child were allowed home after receiving treatment.

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Hunt: NHS 'Caused 3,000 Deaths' Last Year

Around 3,000 NHS patients died needlessly last year because of poor care, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.

He also confirmed that nearly 500,000 people were harmed unnecessarily as he called on the NHS to end the "silent scandal of errors".

Mr Hunt's words came amid allegations that top bosses at the Care Quality Commission were involved in a cover-up of its failure to investigate a spate of baby deaths.

In a speech at University College London Hospitals, Mr Hunt revealed that 325 "never events" were recorded last year - incidents so unacceptable that they should never happen.

He said the UK has become "so numbed to the inevitability of patient harm that we accept the unacceptable" and called for a more open culture where errors are constantly revealed and reduced.

Mr Hunt said: "The facts are clear. Last year there were nearly half a million incidents that led to patients being harmed, and 3,000 people lost their lives while in the care of the NHS.

"It is time for a major rethink - a different kind of culture and leadership, where staff are supported to do what their instincts and commitment to patients tell them.

"We must make sure that patients know where the buck stops and who is ultimately responsible for their care.

The CQC failed to investigate deaths and injuries at Furness General

"And above all, we must listen more to NHS staff, so we can design systems that encourage them to act safely whatever pressures they face."

Concerns were first raised about the Morecambe Bay NHS Trust in 2008, but in 2010 the CQC gave it a clean bill of health.

Mr Hunt said the CQC's decision to reveal the names of three managers who were present when the deletion of a critical review of the watchdog's inspections there was discussed is a sign that the culture is changing.

In his speech, Mr Hunt added: "In the wake of Mid Staffs, Morecambe Bay and many other shocking lapses in care, we must ask ourselves whether we, along with other countries, have become so numbed to the inevitability of patient harm that we accept the unacceptable."

The Health Secretary called for the NHS to become the "world's safest health system" and a return to the days when the name of the responsible doctor and nurse were clearly written above every hospital bed.

Figures for 2011/12 show 70 patients as having received "wrong site" surgery, where the wrong part of the body or even the wrong patient was operated on, and 41 people were given incorrect implants or prostheses.

Despite such failings, health officials said the NHS tops a comparison on patient safety, beating France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and the US.

It sees nearly three million people every week and around 0.4% of those appointments ended up with incidents of harm while 0.003% ended with a person's death.

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Baby Deaths: CQC Exec 'Wanted To Speak Out'

Care Quality Commission media manager Anna Jefferson says she wanted to speak out after being implicated in an alleged cover-up of the organisation's failure to investigate baby deaths in Cumbria.

The health watchdog has revealed its ex-chief executive Cynthia Bower, her former deputy Jill Finney and Ms Jefferson were present during a discussion about deleting an internal review which criticised CQC inspections of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, where a number of mothers and babies had died.

The three women deny that they tried to cover up the report and Ms Bower insists she "gave no instruction to delete" the report.

Since their names were revealed, Ms Bower has resigned from her current post as a non-executive trustee of the Skills for Health lobbying body, while Ms Finney has been sacked as chief commercial officer of internet domain company Nominet.

More than 30 families have taken action against Furness General - run by Morecambe Bay NHS Trust - in relation to deaths and injuries to mothers and babies since 2008.

It is claimed Ms Jefferson, who still works for the CQC, said during the key meeting, "Are you kidding me? This can never be in the public domain nor subject to FOI (a Freedom of Information request)."

Anna Jefferson denies suggesting the CQC review should be suppressed

But Ms Jefferson told Sky News she "felt sick" and wanted to waive her anonymity when she realised she was implicated in a review by City consultants Grant Thornton, which was published on Wednesday.

She said she does not remember any instruction to delete the review being given and denies suggesting it could never be made public.

She claimed she pushed for proper external scrutiny of the CQC's actions regarding Morecambe Bay "several times", the last time on July 17, 2012, during a meeting where the CQC's current chief executive David Behan was present.

She said: "The thought of what the families who have lost babies at this hospital have gone through is heartbreaking.

The Health Secretary said those behind any "cover-up" could lose pensions

"I would never have conspired to cover up anything which could have led to a better understanding of what went wrong in the regulation of this hospital and I am absolutely devastated that I have been implicated in this way."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has suggested that current or former CQC staff found to have been involved in a cover-up could be stripped of their pensions.

He said the CQC must follow "due process" but he would back the regulator "absolutely to the hilt" if it chose to take action against individuals.

Asked what action should be taken against those responsible, Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "These are very, very serious allegations and they should have very, very serious consequences if they are proved.

Joshua Titcombe's family raised concerns after he died at Furness Hospital

"I know the CQC are looking into disciplinary procedures and what can be done, what sanctions are available, whether you can have forfeiture of pensions, all those things.

"There has to be due process, but... it is totally appalling that this kind of thing should happen. It's exactly what shouldn't be happening in our NHS.

"It lets down the millions of doctors and nurses who do an amazing job day in, day out, and we have to root it out."

Downing Street said Prime Minister David Cameron agreed that all sanctions should be on the table.

Meanwhile, Mr Behan and current CQC chairman David Prior are to be summoned to appear before the Commons health select committee.

Its chairman, Tory former health secretary Stephen Dorrell, said he has asked for them to be given an "early opportunity" to give evidence.

Morecambe Bay NHS Trust was given a clean bill of health by the CQC in 2010, but an internal review was ordered by the hospital regulator in 2011 into how failings resulting in deaths had gone unnoticed.

Grant Thornton's investigation found that the report was not made public because it was decided it was too critical of the CQC.

The investigators concluded this "might well have constituted a deliberate cover-up" by the CQC employees who decided it should not be made public.

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Google Threatened With Criminal Proceedings

Internet giant Google has been threatened with criminal proceedings if it does not destroy personal data collected from wifi networks.

The internet giant has been handed an enforcement notice by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) after further personal data unlawfully collected by its Street View cars was discovered last year.

The watchdog has demanded that it destroy four discs containing information it took from unsecured wifi networks.

It discovered the extra information on four disks in July 2012 and told Google not to take action until it had carried out an investigation.

Google had previously pledged to destroy all data collected in this manner - but admitted last year that it had "accidentally" retained the additional discs.

The ICO carried out its investigation and on reaching its conclusion, on Friday morning issued its enforcement notice.

The ICO has warned Google that failure to comply with the legal order will be considered as contempt of court, which is a criminal offence.

A statement from the ICO said an investigation found that the collection of payload data by the company was the result of procedural failings and a serious lack of management oversight, including checks on the code behind the software.

But, it added, the investigation also found there was insufficient evidence to show that Google intended, on a corporate level, to collect personal data.

Stephen Eckersley, ICO Head of Enforcement, said: "Today's enforcement notice strengthens the action already taken by our office, placing a legal requirement on Google to delete the remaining payload data identified last year within the next 35 days and immediately inform the ICO if any further disks are found.

"Failure to abide by the notice will be considered as contempt of court, which is a criminal offence." 

"The early days of Google Street View should be seen as an example of what can go wrong if technology companies fail to understand how their products are using personal information.

"The punishment for this breach would have been far worse, if this payload data had not been contained."

The ICO's decision followed the reopening of its investigation into the Google Street View project in April last year.

The decision followed the publication of a report by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which raised concerns around the actions of the engineer who developed the software previously used by the cars, and his managers.

The ICO added that its investigation into whether Google's privacy policy complies with the Data Protection Act is on-going.

This investigation is part of coordinated action by data protection regulators across Europe, to assess whether Google's latest privacy policy clearly explains how individuals' personal information is being used across the company's products and services.

The ICO said it would shortly be writing to Google to confirm its preliminary findings.

Google says it has every intention of complying with the order to destroy the disks.

A Google spokesman said: "We work hard to get privacy right at Google. But in this case we didn't, which is why we quickly tightened up our systems to address the issue.

"The project leaders never wanted this data, and didn't use it or even look at it.

"We cooperated fully with the ICO throughout its investigation, and having received its order this morning we are proceeding with our plan to delete the data."

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