Nearly two million counterfeit £1 coins were returned to the Royal Mint in the last financial year, figures show.

This was more than 23 times higher than the number seized six years earlier, MPs were told.

An estimated one in 36 £1 coins in circulation are counterfeit, prompting a campaign by the Royal Mint telling people how to spot fakes.

Key signs of counterfeits include a poorly defined ribbed edge or an indistinct design of the Queen.

The UK Treasury said that the proportion of counterfeit £1 coins in circulation had only risen slightly in the last year. Attempts to tackle the number of fakes had led to the high number seized and returned to the Royal Mint.