The UK Border Force has a "worryingly low" number of boats for patrolling the coast despite playing a key role in heightened security arrangements, a Commons committee has warned.

MPs said Royal Navy vessels should be made available to plug any gaps as the differences between the UK's fleet and the capacity other European nations was highlighted.

Controversy erupted earlier this year when it emerged that just three Border Force cutter vessels were being used to patrol the UK's 7000 miles of coastal borders.

By contrast, reports suggest Italy has as many as 600 boats for 4700 miles of coastline.

The issue fell under the spotlight after 18 Albanians were rescued from a sinking inflatable boat off the Kent coast.

In May, ministers announced measures to bolster maritime security, including new patrol boats for Border Force to supplement the existing five-vessel fleet.

While the first batch were to be in place within months, full deployment is not expected until the end of next year.

Border Force has been given a "key role in implementing strengthened coastal security measures" - but it is "experiencing problems in gaining access to a sufficient number of patrol boats", the Commons Home Affairs committee said.

The report added: "Only four of the new vessels are currently deployed and the remaining four will not be available for more than a year."

Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the committee, said: "Despite maritime security being critical to an island nation, Border Force is operating worryingly low numbers of vessels to protect our borders."

Stuart McDonald, an SNP MP and committee member, called the lack of vessels "unacceptable".

He said: ''The SNP have long argued that the UK's Maritime Patrol Capability at sea and in the air has been cut to the bone and that as an island nation maritime protection should be a priority. That a handful of vessels patrol 7,000 miles of coastline shows just how unacceptable and troubling the situation has become.''

The Home Office said the comparison in the report between the UK and other European maritime countries only includes the number of cutters currently deployed in UK territorial waters and takes no account of the additional military and law enforcement vessels available.