The Scottish local authority, Dumfries and Galloway Council, has blocked access to the Scottish News of the World website. The council has setup a filter which prevents employees accessing the website. Elaine Murray, a member of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, claims that council chiefs are attempting to stop employees using the website as a source to substantiate smear campaigns against political opponents. Critics claim that the decision to block the website was due to the newspaper’s investigation into the council scandal. A spokesman for the council involved stated that access to the website is restricted due to bandwith issues.