There has been a massive increase in the number of jihadists being stripped of their British citizenship, rising from a mere handful to around two every week, as authorities try to tackle a wave of returning fighters.

As the brutal Islamic State terror group begins to collapse in Syria and Iraq, it is feared that hundreds of member could return to the United Kingdom and begin to launch attacks, officials say.

Figures reported in The Sun reveal the government stripped British citizenship from 104 people and banned them from the country in 2017, which averages at around two a week.

This represents a significant increase from the year before, with just 14 losing their citizenship in 2016 and only five in 2015, when Prime Minister Theresa May was still Home Secretary and the Islamic State was at its peak territorially.

The government can only deprive people with dual nationality, or with the option of acquiring another nationality, of their British citizenship, as Britain adheres to international rules preventing governments from leaving a person stateless.

The numbers were released for the first time this week in as part of a Home Office transparency report, but the names of those banned from the United Kingdom were not made public.

However, members of the ‘ISIS Beatles’ group of British jihadists, which included Islamic State executioner Jihadi John, were likely included.

Captured ‘Jihadi John’ Cell Members Complain About Losing UK Citizenship https://t.co/3W05GuYDyh — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 31, 2018

Security Minister Ben Wallace argued the move to block the jihadists from the country was about keeping Britain safe, and linked it to recent Islamist atrocities.

“The spate of terrorist attacks last year and the nerve agent attack earlier this year were a stark reminder of the real and significant threat this country faces from terrorism and hostile states,” he said.

“We have a range of tools in our toolbox to disrupt terrorism-related and hostile state activity and organised crime to ensure our national security.

“This includes the Home Secretary’s ability to deprive a person of their British citizenship where he is satisfied that it is conducive to the public good.

“The Government’s first duty is to protect its citizens and that is what we are determined to do.”

Last week, the courts upheld a Home Office decision to strip three rapists from the Rochdale child grooming gang of their British citizenship, insisting the move was in the “public interest” and did not breach their human rights.

BANISHED: Pakistani Grooming Gang Rapists Lose British Citizenship https://t.co/YTFeCipZfE — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 8, 2018