The UK's courts service has admitted it is "powerless" to challenge a copycat website that features a swastika in its logo and accuses the UK judiciary of behaving "like a bunch of fascists".

A spokesman for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service made it clear that a website, "hmcourts-service.info" was not associated with them, despite containing links to official sites and having been designed as a replica of the old HMCTS website.

The fake website, which is aimed at challenging the actions of the "draconian" judicial system, comes up near the top of a Google search for "courts service UK".

Gerry Coulter, who administers the site, offered no remorse about using the Nazi symbol in the campaign. He said the police and the courts behaved "like a bunch of Nazis" and that the swastika was a "fitting symbol" to use in exposing misconduct.

"It is necessary to use a Nazi symbol to depict that in this country people are victims of Nazi-type persecution from the police and the courts," he said.

This man is jumping on the Holocaust bandwagon

An HMCTS spokesperson said they had "looked at all options to have the site taken down.

"Unfortunately, because it is hosted outside the UK and therefore falls outside the jurisdiction of UK law, we are powerless to take legal action to remove it."

David Chernick, a Borehamwood businessman who came across the site, said he was horrified by it. "You open it up and there's this atrocious symbol of murder," he said. "What riled me is that whatever his [the website's founder] complaint is, there are good ways of campaigning and instead he's jumping on the Holocaust bandwagon. It's unnecessary and insensitive.

"Wherever his internet service provider is, it shouldn't be allowed."