The UK's data protection rules are being breached far too frequently by many private and public sector organisations, a new report has warned.

The annual update from the UK's Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, said that managers across the country must do more to limit problems with both customer and staff security which are becoming increasingly common.

Mr Thomas's report noted almost 24,000 enquiries into personal security issues in the past 12 months, with a data protection issue being breached on more than a third of these occasions.

"Frankly these are inexcusable. None of this is really rocket science - security is fundamental," warned Mr Thomas.

"My message to those at the top of organisations is to respect the privacy of individuals and the integrity of the information held about them, to embrace data protection positively and to be sure you are not the business or political leader who failed to take information rights seriously," he added.

At 13 per cent, internet companies were found to have generated the highest number of complaints, with direct marketing firms, telecoms companies and banks all also figuring highly.

According to recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent)