The former head of MI6 has expressed concern about the loss of civil liberties in Britain.

Sir Richard Dearlove, who led the Secret Intelligence Service between 1999 and 2004, told an audience at the Hay Festival that state intrusion in modern Britain is "striking and disturbing" in some areas.

The number of stop and searches carried out by Metropolitan Police, for example - 170,000 in the same period that police in Manchester performed 200-300 - was "mind-boggling" and potentially an "abuse of the law", Sir Richard said.

Now Master of Pembroke College, the London Evening Standard reported Sir Richard as saying: "I'm a great believer in proportionality and, as a citizen, I worry about the loss of my liberties.

"But you know we have constructed a society which has great technical competence; and some of that competence isn't particularly regulated.

"I think the important thing in the UK is that there should be very strict legislation and strict legislative oversight."