"I am not a member of Anonymous. Do whatever the f*** you want with this information i don't give a f*** !, read the hacker's message. This is nothing big not some l33t h4x shit ... but this tells how insecure the Web is "

As of 31 August, only Hertfordshire's website was still unavailable.

"Public sector organisations need to understand that, by hosting sites with third parties or outsourcing such important services to system integrators, does not take responsibility away from those who are employed to ensure the security of "our" data," commented Stonesoft UK and Ireland manager, Ash Patel.

"It is time that it was made clear that the responsibility lies with the government and its employees in the same way that the nation's security lies with the armed forces,"he added.