Keane could miss out on a number one album after it was revealed iTunes Belgium had released the album two weeks early.

The administrative blunder had fans flocking to the website to legally download the album, some weeks before its officially available to purchase.

A spokesperson for the band is livid with the mistake, and has come out to play up the potential impact of the leak, saying that it could affect their chances of hitting the top spot.

He said: "The risk is that if the album is already out there, there will not be as significant a demand on June 12. As you can imagine the band are not very happy and would like to know who made the mistake."

The album has since gone on to be available for non-official download on file sharing 7 p2p torrent sites.

However, the band are delighted after the first single from the album, 'Is It Any Wonder', reached number three in the charts on Sunday, far exceeding the expectations of songwriter and keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley.

He told the band's official website: "It's amazing really. I thought this song would be like an introductory grower, just to lead people into the album, but it seems to have really kicked off. We're thrilled. Thanks to everyone who's bought it."