The Criminal Records Bureau has admitted sending confidential data on people's backgrounds to the wrong employers, as it struggles to do checks on those working with children.

Staff at several further education colleges say they are being sent private information on people in error on a daily basis - receiving strangers' bank account and passport details, as well as criminal record checks.

Blunkett: Running of CRB led to "chaos"

One college found that its disclosure forms - containing details of previous convictions and other personal data - were sent to an organisation unrelated to education, People Management magazine reported.

The records bureau has now been reported for allegedly breaching the Data Protection Act.

On Wednesday the beleagured CRB was given an extended deadline of six weeks to process applications for jobs involving working with children, after serious delays marred the start of the new school year.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said the running of the CRB had been "unacceptable" and had led to "chaos".

'No confidence'

The Association of Colleges said some of its members had complained of getting data from security checks on social services or NHS staff instead of information on teaching staff.

It is regrettable that this has happened, but we have put new measures in place ... and hope that this will stop these errors happening

Home Office

Sometimes the colleges own disclosure certificates were sent astray, the AoC added.

The association is logging complaints from members and has reported the CRB to the Office of the Information Commission for breach of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Rob Rowe, head of personnel at Worcester College of Technology, said the college has been receiving personal details on dozens of the wrong people on a daily basis.

Mr Rowe, who said his own details were temporarily lost by the CRB, said it was "a complete shambles" that left him with little confidence in the CRB.

"One set of details was sent direct to the home of our chief executive - if this had been an unscrupulous person, it is very worrying where these details could end up.

"The whole point of the CRB is to preserve people's confidentiality, but it has just been laughable."

The Home Office said it was aware of the problem at Worcester College and admitted there were "a handful" of other colleges that had experienced similar problems.

"It is regrettable that this has happened, but we have put new measures in place - tightening up procedures - and hope that this will stop these errors happening," said a spokesman.