Islamic terrorists in UK prisons are able to read hate messages from behind bars, it has been reported.

Convicts linked to al Qaida can log on to a website and access inflammatory letters, despite tight government controls.

The Sunday Times said inmates were able to access MuslimPrisoners.com, which contains notes written by some of the world's most dangerous terrorists.

Text on the website asks users to send letters for prisoners to an email address.

A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) source said prisoners were not able to contribute directly to websites and that the department was aware of it.

It is feared jihadi messages could be circulated among Muslim inmates inside prisons, even though they cannot send outbound messages.

An MoJ spokesman said: "The National Offender Management Service (Noms) recognises the risks posed by extremist offenders and those who seek to radicalise others and takes their responsibility to effectively manage these risks seriously.

"Since 2007 a dedicated, expert unit has led a programme of work across prisons and probation to strengthen our response to the threat from these offenders, drawing on our long history of managing terrorist prisoners and other dangerous individuals.

"All high-security establishments have a dedicated counter-terrorism unit, and a national unit also exists to analyse intelligence from the High Security Estate.

"Noms' response to the current threat has included staff training in extremism awareness, the ongoing development of interventions designed to assist offenders in disengagement from extremism and the strengthening of the role of the Muslim chaplain in prisons."