Thugs caught with knives are let off with fines as low as £1, it was revealed last night.

Shock new figures show one in 16 people convicted of carrying a blade is given a fine.

The revelations come as ministers prepare to publish new statistics today on Britain's knife crime epidemic.

Figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats reveal many offenders are getting off with a slap on the wrist.They show that in 2007 - the most recent figures available - 21,350 people were convicted or cautioned for carrying a blade. Of these, 1,187 - or six per cent - escaped with a fine.

The penalties ranged from £10 to £2,000 with the average at £156.

The Lib Dems also revealed that in 2005 at least one offender got off with a £1 fine. The party's home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said it showed Labour's tough talk on knife crime was a sham. He added: "Ministers love to posture on penalties for knife crime. But there is a massive disparity between what they say and what courts do. We must send a strong message to knife carriers. These pitiful fines do not do that."

The Ministry of Justice said the number of offenders jailed for knife-carrying had risen sharply in the last year.

A spokesman said: "Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for courts but latest figures show more people are going to jail and going to jail for longer."