London, January 5 (RHC)-- A new British government report warns about a "significant" threat posed by the smuggling of guns and drugs into the United Kingdom by parcel delivery services. The report says that guns, ammunition and drugs are being smuggled into Britain by air freight, sea ferries and mail services.

The government study warned that key aspects of border security are struggling to cope with the threats to the UK from criminal gangs, illegal immigrants, and terrorists. British lawmakers have described the findings as "extremely worrying" and evidence of "chaos" in Britain's border defenses, the Telegraph reported.

The report on the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defense and Security Review was released quietly as parliament broke up for Christmas. Some of the most alarming details concerned the range of illicit goods being smuggled across the border by international criminal networks.

"Firearms, parts and ammunition can be obtained via the Internet and imported into the UK from the United States, China and various European countries using parcel delivery services," the report said.

"Opiates from Afghanistan and Pakistan, cocaine from South America, and new psychoactive substances from the Far East are of particular concern," according to the report, which concluded with a scorecard rating the government's overall performance against eight key national security and defense "tasks." It found that the UK's border security system had one the worst records during the past 12 months.

Two areas of border security were rated as "problematic," although no further details were given in the report.