Electric vehicle owners were given a shock when public chargepoints on the Isle of Wight were hacked to show pornography.

Screens on devices at the council’s car parks are meant to show its website, but some featured explicit images instead.

The issue was first reported by the Isle of Wight County Press after it was alerted by its readers.

A council spokesman said: “We are saddened to learn that a third-party web address displayed on our electric vehicle (EV) signage appears to have been hacked.

“A council officer will be visiting the EV signage today and tomorrow to ensure the third-party web address is covered up.

“The council would like to apologise to anyone that may have found the inappropriate web content, and for any inconvenience from chargepoints out of action.”

Affected chargers were originally part of the ChargePoint Genie network, but had recently been transferred to the GeniePoint network.

The spokesman added that the council is aware of the “unreliability” of some of the chargepoints in its car parks, and these will be replaced “over the next few months”.