The number of appeals lodged by immigrants against decisions to remove them from the country rose more than 40% year-on-year, MPs heard yesterday.

David Wood, interim director general of Immigration Enforcement within the Home Office, revealed the surge in appeals to the Home Affairs Select Committee.

Figures released by the Home Office later confirmed that 637 appeals were lodged in the first three months of 2013, compared with 448 in the previous year.

The committee also heard that out of 48,660 reports of suspected illegal immigration recorded by the UK Border Agency in its tip-offs database, only 660 or 1.3% led to actual removals. This followed 2695 investigations with visits by immigration enforcement officers and 1840 arrests.

Home Secretary Theresa May said the Government intended to speed up the process of deportation through its forthcoming Immigration Bill.

"It is my intention that the Immigration Bill will enable us to deport people more swiftly and to take action against people more swiftly," Mrs May said. "Members of the public get very upset when they see people going from appeal to appeal, trying one route to stay here, appealing, finishing that route, trying another route."

A Home Office spokeswoman added: "This is precisely why we are looking to change the law... We want to ensure the courts properly reflect Parliament's view that serious criminals should be deported, unless there are very exceptional circumstances."