Civil servant receives death threats

A moderator on the government's flagship web portal has received death threats for removing postings considered to be 'unsuitable'.

UKOnline has caused considerable controversy since Tony Blair launched the service last year, but this is the first time a reaction has been quite so extreme.

According to email information service the E-government Bulletin, the moderator, described as an "experienced civil servant", received an anonymous phone call threatening physical violence and citing the moderator's home address.

The CitizenSpace section of the site promotes involvement in the democratic process, encouraging users to express their views and complain about unsatisfactory public services.

Speaking at a recent conference, e-envoy Andrew Pinder admitted it was difficult for the website's moderators to strike a balance between free speech and reasonable behaviour in the chatrooms.

A spokeswoman for the e-envoy said: "There have been some fairly racist and aggressive comments on there. At what point to you mediate?"

The incident will be a harsh wake-up call for the civil servants managing the government's shift online.

The e-envoy's office is remaining tight-lipped over the phone call, refusing to confirm or deny the story.