Anonymous has claimed credit for knocking Virgin Media's website offline in a likely retaliation for the internet service provider's (ISP) compliance with a court order forcing it to block access to The Pirate Bay.

Virgin was the first ISP to block access after the court order was passed at the end of April, in a move that caused outcry among digital activists claiming the order represented the next stage of internet censorship.

Writing on the @AnonymousUK Twitter account, the group claimed to have taken down the site.

Virgin Media confirmed that the site had been hit by an attack and was now offline as a result and that Anonymous was claiming credit for the attack.

"Our website has been the subject of denial of service attacks so we've taken the site offline for a short period of time," a spokesperson said.

"We're aware some groups are claiming the attacks are a result of the recent High Court order which requires ISPs to prevent access to the Pirate Bay."

V3.co.uk