The government is being urged to speed up its e-Borders programme "as a matter of urgency to protect Britain's territorial integrity " in a report from the Lords European Union Committee.

Peers said it was "astonishing" that under current plans it will be 2014 before the system records all entries into and departures from the UK, making it possible to police immigration controls more effectively.

The £650m system is being delivered by the Trusted Borders consortium led by US defence supplier Raytheon.

e-Borders will log and screen 100 million passenger movements by April 2009 and 95 per cent of all border crossings by the end of 2010.