Simon Davis, president of the Law Society, said the prosecution system was “plagued by delays”

The number of collapsed criminal cases has almost doubled in four years, with murder and rape trials halted over failures to disclose evidence to defence lawyers.

Figures from the Crown Prosecution Service show that on average last year about two criminal cases a day were dropped because of delays in bringing them to court or an abuse of process.

The rising number of collapsed cases is adding to concerns that budget cuts at the CPS are taking their toll and potentially allowing some offenders who have committed serious crimes to walk free, while risking miscarriages of justice for those wrongly charged.

According to figures disclosed after a freedom of information request, 1,078 cases were discontinued because of failures in disclosure during the first nine months