The filesharing website The Pirate Bay has been blocked to millions of UK internet users following a high court ruling earlier this week.

Customers of the country's second-biggest internet service provider (ISP), Virgin Media, were on Wednesday denied access to site. Other internet providers, including BT and Sky, are expected to follow suit within weeks.

Britain's ISPs were on Monday ordered to block access to the The Pirate Bay after the court ruled that it flouted copyright laws.

Virgin Media provides internet access to about 4.1 million cable customers in the UK, and more users who opt for its high-speed fibre-optic service. It has 21.5% of the market share, behind BT with 27.5%.

Customers for Virgin Media's rivals said they could still access the filesharing website on Wednesday afternoon.

The provider said in a statement: "Virgin Media has received an order from the courts requiring it to prevent access to The Pirate Bay in order to help protect against copyright infringement.

"As a responsible ISP, Virgin Media complies with court orders addressed to the company but strongly believes that changing consumer behaviour to tackle copyright infringement also needs compelling legal alternatives, such as our agreement with Spotify, to give consumers access to great content at the right price."