Twitter has blocked the Government from accessing data on potential terrorist threats in a move that ministers fear will make the country less safe, industry sources have told The Telegraph.

The social media platform has withdrawn access to key streams of information which help the police and MI5 to identify plots, under plans to stop user data being used for "surveillance".

The Government is understood to have paid a third-party company for the service, which tracked terms related to potential terror attacks before it was blocked by Twitter.

Ministers are said to be furious about the decision and have attempted to overturn it but have been unsuccessful, an industry source said.

The move is the latest in a series of rows between the Government and social media companies after ministers called on them to do more to prevent terrorist material being spread online.