What is not clear is whether the results recorded are an accurate reflection of the places from which signatures were added.

Savvy internet users could simply have disguised their true locations by using proxy servers to hide their IP addresses.

There have also been suggestions computer coders may have used special script or a 'bot' to generate fake signatures automatically.

Web archive records show the number of signatures connected to IPs in the United Kingdom leaping from 365,483 at 9.21pm on June 25 to more that 2.4 million by 11.01pm.

Hackers in online chatroom 4Chan have even been boasting about their part in the 'prank'.

If true, the discovery is bound to raise serious concerns about the government's cyber-security, while potentially undermining the legitimacy of future petitions.