THE personal details of around 1,000 children stored on a computer that was snatched during a break-in were not password protected, it has been revealed.
Council chiefs have expressed regret following an investigation by the Information Commissioner after the theft last year from Hemel Hempstead’s Bennetts End Adventure Playground.
It was discovered in August that a computer hard-drive containing the information had been taken.
The Information Commissioner’s report revealed that children’s names, addresses, dates of birth, the schools they attend and in some cases allergy information, were stored on a desktop that was not password protected.
The password had been removed in 2008 when a member of staff left and was never restored.
Council spokesman Leida Smith said: “We have signed an undertaking with the Information Commissioner to ensure that all our staff are kept fully aware and compliant with the rules governing data protection.”