HUNDREDS of innocent workers have been branded criminals by a Government agency set up to protect children.

Nearly 700 teachers, nurses, childminders and volunteers have been falsely accused of wrongdoing by The Criminal Records Bureau.

Although the bureau has apologised for the blunder the workers will now have to go through an appeals process to clear their names.

The news comes as ministers prepare to increase the number of criminal record checks carried out on the public.

'Incompetence'

A report obtained by The Daily Telegraph claims 680 people were issued with incorrect information in the 12 months to February 2008.

David Ruffley, a shadow Home Office minister, said the mistakes were evidence of a emerging crisis of public confidence in the handling of public information.

He told the Telegraph: Jacqui Smith (the Home Secretary) is responsible for this continuing incompetence, mismanagement and delay. Despite obvious public concern she seems incapable of getting a grip.

A Criminal Records Bureau spokesperson said: Since 2004 the CRB has stopped 80,000 unsuitable people working with vulnerable groups with a disclosure accuracy of 99.98 per cent.

The CRB is acknowledged as an improvement on previous checking arrangement, although checks which do not correctly reveal a persons true criminal record are still clearly regrettable - even if they do represent a tiny proportion of all CRB checks."