A leading media lawyer has said that police use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to secretly obtain journalists' phone records is "completely illegal" and that he knows of "a couple of cases" where it has happened.

Gavin Millar QC was speaking at the Protecting the Media Conference law conference in London. He is currently working on a European Court challenge to stop the UK Government spying on journalists and their sources.

Millar said he believes UK police are now secretly obtaining journalists' phone records "without compunction" because the media has been so successful at resisting production orders for journalistic material made under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE).