Ananova:

A consumers' watchdog has criticised HSBC for poor administration after a hacker infiltrated the bank's web page.

The hacker broke into the bank's British home page and posted a picture of Prime Minister Tony Blair alongside a statement supporting the recent fuel protests.

Andrew Craig, news editor of the technology web site vnunet.co.uk, said the hacker, who calls himself Herbless, succeeded in hacking into 450 web sites to support the fuel blockades.

Mr Craig said: "The hacker says he is doing it to expose poor web site practices and to express his views."

Alan Stevens, the head of digital services at the Consumers' Association, said: "This is not a technical problem, it is basic system management. I think that it is pretty poor administration."

A spokesman for HSBC, formerly Midland Bank, described the breach as "an embarrassment" but added that the hacker did not have access to customers' records.

He said the violated website was maintained by a third-party company who he refused to name.

Mr Stevens said the hacking was possible because a default password - a code set when the software was made - had not been changed by the operators of the site.

He added: "Even though it was not a breach of their financial security it will continue to worry customers. They place their trust in banks and they want to be sure that they have their assets held safely."

The HSBC spokesman confirmed that some of the bank's web pages in Greece and Spain had been violated.