SECURITY measures to protect people whose personal details were on a laptop stolen from the district council offices are soon to lapse, an opposition councillor has warned.

After a laptop containing names and addresses of thousands of St Albans postal voters went missing in October last year, the council registered the details with a security system known as CIFAS.

The system works by highlighting the possibility of fraud as soon as the compromised personal details are used, whether to buy goods on-line or to apply for a bank loan.

But probing questions from Tory councillor Dean Russell have revealed that the cover will lapse in January.

He said: "I am not saying that the council should pay for this cover for ever, but people whose details were stolen should be aware that they will no longer be covered. They might want to arrange their own cover - I think it only costs about £15 a year."

His questions have also revealed that five potentially fraudulent transactions involving St Albans people whose details were stolen have been highlighted by the system.