Second set of secret papers left on a train

The documents, which set out the Government's strategy on tackling terrorist funding, drugs trafficking and money laundering, were found on a commuter train heading for Waterloo Station last week. 

They were lost on Wednesday  -  the day after a file of highly classified intelligence documents concerning Al Qaeda and Iraq were left on a train leaving the same London station.

Secrets: Confidential files on Al Qaeda and Iraq were left on a train in London

Senior MPs added to the Government's embarrassment by claiming that Britain's enemies no longer needed to hack into Whitehall computers, but could simply travel on public transport.

The latest batch of sensitive files include discussions of weaknesses in the way HM Revenue & Customs' computer systems track serious financial fraud, and details of how the international trade and banking systems could be manipulated to finance illicit weapons of mass destruction in Iran.

There were also secret briefing notes ahead of sensitive discussions this week when the 34-nation Financial Action Task Force  -  which coordinates global efforts to tackle moneylaundering and terrorist financing  -  meets in London.

The papers were handed to a Sunday newspaper and given back to Government officials. 

The identity of the official who left the papers on the train and the department he or she worked for is not yet clear. In the first incident, two Joint Intelligence Committee documents on Al Qaeda's vulnerabilities and the competence of Iraqi security forces were left on a train from Waterloo on Tuesday.

A passenger spotted an envelope containing the documents lying on a train seat and handed them to the BBC. 

There was a major police investigation and the senior intelligence official responsible, who works in the Cabinet Office, was suspended.

Investigation: David Miliband said the latest security lapses were 'completely inexcusable'

Foreign Secretary David Miliband yesterday admitted that the security lapses were 'completely inexcusable' and promised an investigation.

'I know that this will be taken with the utmost seriousness and will be followed up to ensure that there isn't a further threat to the national interest,' he said. 

But Tory security spokesman Baroness Neville- Jones claimed the two lapses were evidence of a 'culture of carelessness' over security, and demanded that the Government 'get a grip.'

'This is another incidence of the failure of the Government to safeguard sensitive information and yet another example of a lapse in discipline,' she said. 'The Government cannot allow this to continue.'

Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, demanded that Home Secretary Jacqui Smith come before the committee this week. 'We need an explanation from the Home Secretary whether all these breaches of security affect our fight against terrorism,' he said.

'Until the inquiry has been concluded and we are told how these extraordinary events occurred, no official no matter how senior, should be allowed to take classified or confidential documents outside their offices for whatever reason.

'It is astonishing how easy it is for these files to be left in public places. Our enemies don't even need to hack into our computers, they apparently just need to travel on
<p>public transport.' Downing Street sought to play down the latest incident, insisting the documents were less sensitive than the intelligence files also left on a train. They were classified as 'restricted' rather than 'secret'.

Sources insisted much of the content had already been circulated to other Governments and was due to be published. 

The latest loss of the documents comers after a string of Government data loss blunders  -  most notably two computer discs containing the personal details of 25million people.