Dozens of dangerous offenders were sent back to prison after they broke their probation agreements, new figures show.

Data indicates that 2747 people in Thames Valley convicted of a serious offence were being managed under police probation services at the end of March this year.

But some 1037 offenders broke their probation agreement across the country meaning more criminals were returned to custody than in any year since 2009-2010.

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This was a 19% rise on the year before and fifth successive annual increase; 33 of the guilty party were in Thames Valley - up from 31 in 2021-22.

National sexual violence lead at charity Victim Support, Michaela-Clare Addison, said: "A crucial reason for having these licence conditions is to protect victims and the public – so it is seriously concerning to see them increasing year on year, leading to the highest number of breaches in over a decade.

"These figures must lead to action.

"We need to see more focus on prevention and management of offenders, as well as services for victims, to support those potentially being put at risk."

There was a record 68,357 people on the sex offender's register across England and Wales as of March, including 2982 in Thames Valley.

The number of sex offenders who breached their notification requirements, which includes providing relevant information for the sex offender register, rose by 25%, of these, 40 were in Thames Valley.

A probation service spokesperson said: "We will always put public protection first and when offenders breach their licence conditions they face being returned to custody."