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A record number of women terror suspects were arrested in Britain in 2015/16, official figures have revealed.

A total of 36 females were held as part of counter- terrorism investigations in the 12 months to the end of March - the highest number in any financial year on record.

Rising numbers of youngsters are also being detained, with under-18s the only age group to see a rise in the number of arrests year-on-year - increasing from eight to 14.

Overall, there were 255 terrorism-related arrests in 2015/16, a decrease of 15% compared to the previous year when there were a record 301.

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A Home Office report accompanying the data said: “Although a fall on the previous year, the number of arrests in the year ending 31 March 2016 was still higher than most other recent years.”

Since the year ending March 2011, around the time of the Arab Spring, there has been a “general upward trend” in the number of arrests for terrorism-related offences, the paper said.

Security services have been on high alert since the emergence of ISIS in 2014.

Britain’s official terror threat level for international terrorism currently stands at severe - indicating that an attack is seen as “highly likely”.

Earlier this year it was revealed that police and intelligence agencies have disrupted seven plots to attack the UK in the previous 18 months.