CLACTON MP Douglas Carswell has been criticised by a political opponent for “ignorant” comments about the Probation Service.

The UKIP MP hit out at the service after it emerged a man who tried to kill his partner with a meat cleaver was out on licence at the time, despite being jailed for six years for setting fire to a former girlfriend’s home.

Kerry Roberts, 49, admitted trying to kill 44-year-old Ashley Arnold in Meadow Way, Jaywick, on November 1 last year. He was jailed for life and must serve at least nine years.

Labour General Election hopeful Tim Young criticised Mr Carswell for claiming “dogooders” at the Probation Service felt it was their job to side with criminals and for questioning whether those who made the decision to release Roberts should be sacked.

Mr Young, who served on the board of Essex Probation for a decade, said: “I am all for the punishment fitting the crime and I am relieved that this dangerous criminal has been locked up, but the comments from Douglas Carswell literally took my breath away.

“Mr Carswell clearly does not know what the Probation Service is responsible for or the valuable and vitally important work they do.

“It is not the Probation Service that decides who gets imprisoned, stays locked up or is let out on a licence.

“They do have to deal with offenders in the community, run programmes and encourage rehabilitation. They are committed public servants whose first priority is to protect the public and it’s not their fault if dangerous criminals are let out too early.

“They are not on the side of the offender and it makes me really angry that an experienced MP should say things like that just to grab a headline.”

Mr Young added Mr Carswell’s claim the service “has had a long history of encouraging criminals to move to our area” was wrong and called on him to apologise.

Mr Carswell said: “I’m clear in my mind that it’s wrong for public officials to move criminals to our town.

“It’s disgraceful thatwe are encouraging ex-offenders to settle in Clacton. The role of the Probation Services in dealing with specific cases has been appalling.”