Milly Dowler lawyer tells police about 'secret dossier' on Astini News

Mark Lewis, one of several lawyers representing clients pursuing claims against the newspaper for phone hacking, said the dossier, which is thought to contain information about the lawyers' lives, was aimed at securing an "unfair advantage".

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International would not confirm the accuracy of the alleged document, but said none of its "current" executives had sanctioned activity of this type. Lewis said he had seen the dossier, thought to have been compiled by private detectives, on him and several other lawyers.

The lawyer, who has acted for many phone-hacking victims, including football executive Gordon Taylor, said: "Someone thought it was a good idea to see if they could get information. It is entirely reprehensible and completely wrong. It doesn't scare me, it doesn't bother me, but it is an apparent attempt to try and gain an improper advantage."

He said the file appeared to have been assembled between December 2010 and January this year, "long after" he represented Taylor, but before any representation of the Dowler family.

Lewis said he had passed that, and other claims that his phone may have been hacked, to police: "As soon as I was notified about it, I reported it to the police who are investigating it."

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police refused to comment.