Anti-terror police have arrested more white suspects than people of Asian appearance in a year for the first time in more than a decade, figures reveal.

Home Office statistics show a total of 351 arrests where there was a suspicion of terrorism-related activity in the 12 months to the end of June.

Of those, 133 were white and 129 were recorded as Asian ethnic appearance.

Arrests of white suspects accounted for 38% of terrorist-related arrests in the latest period - an increase of four percentage points on the previous year.The proportion who were of Asian appearance fell by seven points to 37%.

The Home Office report said: "This was the first time, since the year ending June 2005, that the proportion of white people arrested has exceeded the proportion of Asian people arrested."

The figures, which cover the use of anti-terrorism powers in Britain, showed that 234 arrests were registered in the "international" category.

This covers suspected activity linked to or motivated by terrorist groups based outside the UK, such as Islamic State.

Seventy-five were logged in the domestic bracket, which relates to cases where there is no connection to either Northern Ireland or international terrorism.

Further breakdowns are not given but this section would include arrests relating to suspected far-right activity.

The total number of arrests fell by more than a fifth (22%) year-on-year, but police stressed this did not mean the threat has reduced.

Officers said the fall was mainly due to a spike in arrests following terrorist incidents in the previous reporting year.

There were five attacks in the UK in 2017, but only one, the attempted Parsons Green bombing, in the period covered by the latest statistics.

In total, security agencies say they are carrying out an unprecedented 650-plus "active" terrorism investigations.

Counter-terror police senior national co-ordinator, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, said: "We may have seen a reduction in the number of arrests in the last 12 months, but we should put that in context by saying that we prevented 13 Islamist-related and four extreme right-wing plots since March 2017, so it certainly doesn't indicate a reduction in the threat we all face from terrorism.

"The step-change in terrorist activity is matched only by an increased effort from police and security services, and our officers are working incredibly hard to protect the public and to bring people to justice, which is evidenced by the impressive conviction rate achieved in the last year."

Of the 351 arrests, 120 (34%) resulted in a charge, of which 92 (77%) were terrorism-related, 184 (52%) were released without charge, 29 (8%) were released on bail pending further investigation, and 18 (5%) faced "alternative action".

Of the 92 individuals charged with a terrorism-related offence, 48 had been prosecuted, of which 46 were convicted and two were found not guilty.

Forty-one people were awaiting prosecution, two were subject to "other outcomes" and one was not proceeded against.

By Hayden Smith