Data, said to relate to youngsters entitled to free bus passes, was uploaded “in error” by staff and was “potentially available externally”, the authority said in an email raising the alarm, sent on Friday, March 19.

The breach in question related to youngsters who were entitled to free bus passes. The information was classed as exposing ‘vulnerable’ children’s details on the tax payers portal, which allows users to access and book a range of services.

Coun Mackey, who received the email raising the alarm, said: “First, they allowed staff with a failed DBS (disclosure and barring service) check in the school transport. “Now, they have just published thousands of vulnerable children’s data to a publicly-accessible part area of Birmingham City Council’s website. “Organised crime gangs running the now-infamous county lines pay highly for this information to recruit them into a life of crime. “Birmingham City Council should be protecting all residents, especially our children from county lines - not making vulnerable children’s details available on the council website.”

Despite the ICO being informed of this breach, the council advised that no further action was being taken and they would be learning from this error.

A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said: “The email sent to staff was purely precautionary and intended to remind staff about their data protection responsibilities to minimise the risk of future data breaches. “The mistake mentioned was rectified as soon as we became aware. We notified the ICO in line with our legal obligations and they have confirmed they are satisfied with the way in which we have dealt with the matter and will not be taking any action. “There is no evidence that any data on vulnerable children was compromised and the uploaded data was not visible to all Brum Account users.

If you or someone you know has been affected by this data breach, then please let us know.