MP Norman Baker has called for extra customs officers and tougher sentences for people who smuggle endangered species.

In a Commons debate yesterday, the Lewes LibDem said two species were being driven to extinction every hour.

He warned that thousands more were in danger, including rare tigers, gorillas and toads.

Mr Baker said one of the key reasons for the extinction of so many species was smuggling.

He told MPs the illegal trade is now worth £3.7 billion per year. This is second only to the drugs trade in financial terms.

Mr Baker said almost every plane searched upon arrival in Britain was found to contain animal meat or rare species.

But he warned few were being searched due to a shortage of customs officers.

He also criticised the sentences for people convicted of smuggling. Most receive a small fine.

And he highlighted a loophole in the law which means it is illegal to import and export endangered species but not to trade in them.

Mr Baker said: "What disincentive is there to smugglers if they are unlikely to be stopped, unlikely to be caught and if they are prosecuted they get small fines?"

Environment Minister Michael Meacher backed Mr Baker, saying he would be encouraging courts to jail smugglers for up to seven years.