A new investigation into background checks on Uber drivers has revealed convicted criminals have slipped through the net.

The taxi service, which uses an online app to locate nearby drivers and connect them with passengers, is the focus of a new investigation by Crime Watch Daily, due to air next month in the US.

Examining the background checks done on US Uber drivers, it reveals three convicted criminals were able to get a job driving for Uber.

One driver, Sebastian Mongoya, had convictions for reckless driving and driving with a suspended licence.

Another man, Will McCarthy had served a 10 year sentence and had seven convictions for burglary – the most recent involving the theft of 19 hand guns.

A third, a woman named Jerri Newsome, had a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, and harassment on her record – though the assault charge was later dropped.

The investigation follows earlier controversy around the safety of Uber’s taxi service, after a woman was raped by Uber driver and ex-con Duncan Eric Burton in Houston, USA. He had been released in 2012 and passed Uber’s background checks.

The city of Houston believes the taxi service’s checks are simply not good enough, and is one of the few places which requires all drivers to be licensed by the city and undergo fingerprint checks:

"Not all background checks are created equal," said Lara Cottingham, deputy assistant director to the City of Houston's Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department.

“It's easy to lie about your name, it's easy to lie about your Social Security number, it's easy to lie about where you've lived. Your fingerprints are tied to you."

Uber defended its background checks in the trailer for the upcoming Crime Watch special, explaining that its seven-year background check goes back as far as legally allowed, which is seven years:

"The seven year requirement is actually the maximum allowed by law. We are going back as far as we possibly can. We cannot go back any further legally.”

Last month Uber’s Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan wrote about the taxi service’s background checks in an LA Times blog post, stating:

“All driver-partners wanting to use the Uber platform are required to undergo an extensive background check… every system of background check available today has its flaws. But we believe that the procedures used by Uber and other TNC’s stack up well against the alternatives in terms of safety.”