Crimes committed by girls as young as ten have soared by 25 per cent in three years, Government figures show.

Offences by females aged ten to 17 rose by 12,000 a year between 2003-4 and 2006-7, according to Home Office statistics due out on Thursday.

They climbed from 47,000 to 59,000. In the same period, crimes by boys fell two per cent, from 240,000 to 236,000.

Girl gangs are a growing menace in towns and cities.

In March, a 15-year-old was jailed for using a mobile phone to film two male pals beating a man to death in Keighley, West Yorks.

Last week Home Secretary Jacqui Smith vowed to "turn the tables" on yobs, ordering police to give them "a taste of their own medicine" with repeated home visits and warnings.

Ministers have also vowed to do more to tackle teenage boozing.

But Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said last night: "This teenage crimewave is causing misery for communities."