LONDON - Britain is to drop plans that would have allowed criminals to serve only half their sentences if they pleaded guilty at an early stage, media reported on Tuesday.

The policy - which would have saved millions of pounds for a government striving to slash its deficit - had come under fire from the ruling coalition's main party and from victims' groups, particularly over fears it could apply to rapists.

Media reports said confirmation the plan was being dropped was expected later on Tuesday.

Justice Secretary Ken Clarke set out plans at the end of last year to slash the prison population by 3,000 in England and Wales and hand out tougher non-custodial sentences as part of efforts to make 20 percent cuts in his budget.

Clarke came under fire last month after a radio interview in which he drew a distinction between "serious" rape and sex attacks committed on a date.

Clarke, a former lawyer and senior Conservative who has served as a minister under three different party leaders, made the comments in the context of the plans to increase the use of plea-bargaining in criminal cases.