A computer hacker broke into the official website of Rainham and Gillingham MP Paul Clark and left an offensive message.

The online intruder is understood to have written abusive language the MP's blog on Monday. The website was taken offline for a short time while the breach was dealt with.

A comment posted a short time later by Mr Clark's press officer said: "Apologies to anyone who took offence at being told to f-off when they arrived at the website.

"It's not the campaign slogan we'll be going for next time."

Medway blogger Alan Collins has warned about the perils of online security in the wake of the incident.

He said: "Whether you are running a high-profile website or have a profile on a social networking site such as Facebook or Myspace, there is always a need to protect yourself from hackers.

"By using stronger passwords you make it harder for them to be successful."

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