HAMPSHIRE County Council have been fined £100,000 for leaving confidential and highly sensitive documents in an abandoned building.

The council were given the huge fine after social care files and 45 bags of confidential waste was found in a former council building.

The waste contained personal details of more than 100 people, including highly sensitive information about adults and children in vulnerable circumstances.

The documents were only discovered after the new owners of the property bought the building in August 2014.

An investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found the council had failed to follow the law which says that organisations, be they businesses or public authorities, must have technical and organisational measures in place to guard against accidental loss or destruction of personal data.

Chris Wood, a UKIP councillor for the county council and Fareham Borough Council, said: "This is an outrageously irresponsible and ultimately very expensive mistake which absolutely cannot be allowed happen again.

"We must be given a clear explanation as to how this occurred and cast iron assurances that it will not be repeated."

The new owners bought Town End House in Havant, where the highly sensitive documents were found, after Hampshire County Council’s Adults and Children’s Services department left the building.

After the Council left the building there was a two year gap between then and the new owners buying it, meaning that for two year any potential buyer had access to the building and could have found the confidential personal information.

Steve Eckersley, ICO head of enforcement, said: “The council knew the building had housed a department that dealt with confidential information and should have had a proper procedure in place to check no personal data was left in the building.

“The council’s failure to look after this information was irresponsible.

"It not only broke the law but put vulnerable people at risk.

“Thank goodness the company reported the find of personal details.

"If the information had ended up in the wrong hands it could have had distressing consequences.”

Hampshire County Council apologised for the incident and said that it did not adhere to the correct procedures.

A statement said: “Immediate steps were taken to investigate the matter fully, and remedial action was taken. 

"This has included strengthened and improved processes in the removal of, and destruction of, confidential waste from vacated buildings.

“We reported the incident to the ICO as soon as we became aware of it, which was at the point the company referred the incident to the County Council – and have cooperated fully at all stages of the ICO’s investigation.

"We are currently considering the ICO’s decision.”