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But less than seven per cent is expected to be recouped.

Security Minister Ben Wallace says more money is being collected from crooks

Criminals owe the taxpayer more than £1.8 billion - but less than a tenth of the sum is expected to be clawed back, figures show.

Outstanding debt from confiscation orders, a key route for stripping offenders of the proceeds of crime, stood at just over £1.8 billion at the end of March.

But it is estimated that just £128 million - or 7 per cent - of the total will ultimately be recouped by authorities.

Confiscation orders are issued by courts against convicted offenders and can be applied to any offence resulting in financial gain, with the amount based on "criminal benefit".

The government and law enforcement agencies have repeatedly come under fire over efforts to recover ill-gotten gains.

Last year, MPs hit out at a "spectacular failure" to address concerns about confiscation orders.

Labour MP Yvette Cooper, who chairs the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said: "This is an appalling failure by the authorities to recover criminal assets.

"Courts are ordering the seizure of assets, but too often criminals are getting away with it. We need to know what action is being taken to turn this around."

The figure for confiscation order debt is cumulative and dates back over several years. It includes more than £500 million interest, as well as £12.6 million relating to orders which are subject to appeal.

The amounts are detailed in an annual statement published by HM Courts & Tribunals Service in July.

It says: "The recoverability of confiscation order debt is affected by the nature of the debt - orders are often imposed on assets which have been hidden by the defendant, or the assets are overseas.

"Furthermore, it is not possible to write off confiscation order debt - it can only be cancelled in court (a judicial cancellation) in very specific circumstances, such as on the death of a defendant."

A Home Office report published on Tuesday said £201 million of criminal proceeds were confiscated in 2016/17 - a 19pc increase compared with 2011/12 (£170 million).

The bulletin also disclosed that, of £490 million being pursued across 131 "priority" cases, £94.3 million, or less than a fifth, has been collected by law enforcement agencies.

Priority status can be designated to cases where is a "significant public interest" and where the amount being chased is at least a quarter of a million pounds.

Since 2011/12, £174 million has been paid in compensation to victims from the proceeds of confiscation, the paper added.

Security minister Ben Wallace said: "We will not stand by and allow criminals to profit from their crimes which is why the government and law enforcement agencies are committed to stripping them of their cash and assets to prevent further criminality.

"We are collecting more assets from criminals and we are giving more money back to police and to victims.

"But we need to do better. Over the coming months, we will be bringing in new powers for operational partners to seize other criminal assets such as works of art and precious metals.

"We want to ensure that criminals do not enjoy a luxurious criminal lifestyle at the expense of law-abiding citizens."

The Home Office said the Criminal Finances Act 2017, which will be phased in from this autumn, contains a number of measures to significantly improve the ability to recover criminal assets.

They include an expansion of the definition of "cash" - allowing agencies to seize works of art, precious stones and metals, and the creation of orders requiring those suspected of corruption or other serious crime to explain the sources of their wealth.

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Then let the police collect it to pay for a 5% pay increase