London: British police and security agencies are currently monitoring 30 terrorism plots, according to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

In a Sunday newspaper interview with the News of the World, Smith said the terror threat level was increasing in the UK.

"We task the police and the security agencies with protecting us…there are 22,000 individuals they are monitoring. There are 200 networks. There are 30 active plots," she said.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour government is seeking to extend pre-charge detention of terrorism suspects to 42 days from the current 28-day limit.