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The SRA is investigating the conduct of Post Office or Royal Mail Group lawyers during the period in which subpostmasters were wrongly prosecuted.

It is also examining how legal privilege may have been misused to prevent communications from being revealed and whether duties regarding expert witnesses were met.

The Post Office’s complaint review and mediation scheme is also under investigation. The scheme commenced after a 2012 probe into the Horizon system.

Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said: “The impact of this miscarriage of justice on so many individuals is tragic. We have live investigations into the actions of lawyers in these cases.

“Although the range of issues we are investigating is complex, the fundamentals are simple. The public expect solicitors to behave ethically. They must act independently and do the right thing in the interests of justice.

“We will take action where we find they have failed to do so. This is vital to protect the public, maintain trust in the profession, and send a clear message that any solicitor behaving unethically should expect serious consequences.

“We will act as swiftly as we can, but it is important that we get this right. We owe that to everyone impacted in this case and the wider public.”