An investigation has been launched after a man was sent sensitive divorce documents relating to a couple from Dereham.

John Donnelly, from Thorpe, near Norwich, received an envelope addressed to him from the family court, which contained national insurance details, personal details of the couple and their children, plus pension plan details.

Mr Donnelly said when he called to report it, nobody rang him back. He added: 'This is just another example of the complete disrespect for people involved in court proceedings.

'The impacts for people are huge and for the court to refuse to accept responsibility for it – I think it's an appalling disservice.'

Mr Donnelly said he was also concerned about the type of information which had been sent.

He said: 'The information I had in front of me, if I wanted to cause these people a problem or attempt to defraud them...wow.'

An HM Courts and Tribunals Service spokesman said: 'HM Courts and Tribunals Service takes the security of personal data very seriously and we are urgently investigating what happened in this case.'

In February 2012 we reported how Norfolk County Council was fined £80,000 after a blunder led to highly- sensitive child welfare information being delivered to the wrong address.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said the error occurred when a social worker inadvertently wrote the wrong address on a report and hand-delivered the information to the intended recipient's next-door neighbour in April 2011.

Have you got a crime story? Call reporter Peter Walsh on 01603 772436 or email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk