BBC ran up £310,000 bill for private detectives

The BBC spent £310,000 on private detectives over a six-year period, its head admitted today.

Director-General Mark Thompson told the Leveson inquiry into the press that the BBC hired investigators 232 times between 2005 and last year.

Mr Thompson also revealed that in 2001 the BBC employed Steve Whittamore, who later pleaded guilty to illegally accessing confidential information.

Newspapers, including the Evening Standard, have been criticised for using Mr Whittamore.

Mr Thompson told Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry that the BBC had "strong public interest justifications" when it used Mr Whittamore for a investigation into whether paedophiles convicted in the UK might get jobs overseas that gave them access to children.

He said: "The programme was trying to track a known paedophile and the request was made to Mr Whittamore to see whether an individual was on a particular flight and that was part of the investigation."

Mr Thompson, who has been in charge of the BBC since 2004, also admitted that the corporation paid police officers when they appeared on BBC1's Crimewatch.

The inquiry was also due to hear from BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten, who was expected to reject proposals for statutory regulation of the press.

The inquiry continues.