Criminals in London are escaping jail sentences for serious crimes, despite dozens of previous convictions for similar offences.

A burglar in London was not given a custodial sentence at a court appearance in June 2014, despite 33 previous burglary offences and 58 total previous convictions, making them the most prolific burglar in the region to avoid jail for an offence last year.

Another criminal who avoided jail for drug offences last year had 26 previous drug convictions, as part of a total 37 previous convictions, according to figures released following a Freedom of Information Act request to the Ministry of Justice.

One offender in the region avoided prison following a conviction for taking a vehicle without the owner's consent, despite seven previous convictions for the same offence and a total of 25 previous convictions.

A robber with five previous convictions for the same offence, and a total of eight previous convictions, was also among those who avoided a jail sentence.

One criminal with nine previous convictions for violence against a person, and a total of 173 previous convictions, was not jailed for an offence last year.

In its response, the Ministry of Justice said: "While crime is falling more offenders are going to prison, and for longer.

"For the first time in ten years, an immediate prison sentence is the most common punishment handed down by the court for adults convicted of indictable offences.

"The Government has taken tough action to make sure offenders are properly punished. It has made community orders more punitive, banned cautions for serious offences and introduced an automatic life sentence for a second very serious violent or sexual offence, among many other changes.

"Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent judiciary, and a court may only impose a community order or a custodial sentence where the offence is imprisonable.

"The Government wants to stop persistent offenders going through the system again and again. That is why it has made radical changes to the way offenders are rehabilitated, so that all adult sentenced prisoners will now get at least 12 months supervision after release and providers will be paid by results in reducing re-offending."