The Government's anti-terror surveillance powers are being threatened by a legal challenge after the High Court granted permission for a judicial review of the Investigatory Powers Act.

The High Court has agreed to the human rights group Liberty's request for part of the controversial law, dubbed by critics as the "Snoopers' Charter", to be challenged with a judicial review.

The challenge will focus on three powers outlined in the act that grant the security services' widespread surveillance abilities: the permission to hack into computers, the mass interception and collection of communications data, and the acquisition of personal data sets from companies and organisations.

The hearing will go ahead if Liberty's application for a costs cap is granted, the group said.