Speaking to The Guardian, Clare Murphy, the director of external affairs at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said the growing number of Northern Irish women travelling to access abortions showed “how desperately women need to be able to access lawful services at home.

“These statistics only give us a tiny part of the picture,” she continued. “They don’t tell us the stories of the women who have to get up in the middle of the night, the logistical nightmare of travel and making arrangements for the care of their existing children, needing to find an excuse for work and family.”

The news comes after a landmark report by The Women and Equalities Committee said the UK government has a responsibility to intervene in Northern Ireland’s abortion laws. The report, which was published following a formal inquiry, suggested that while the Northern Ireland Assembly should have the right to decide on Northern Irish laws, they are required not to pass laws that contradict the UK’s international human rights commitments – something Northern Ireland’s abortion laws have repeatedly been found to do.

The number of Northern Irish women seeking abortions in England and Wales has risen significantly