The websites of three leisure centres run by South Dublin County Council have taken offline after being hacked.

Warzone images - including injured children and dead bodies - were appearing on the Clondalkin, Tallaght and Lucan leisure centre websites.

A message on the website was asking for action to stop killing Muslims.

"This is trading blood for oil, this is genocide" part of the message says.

"The civilians at the other end of our weapons don't have a choice, but American soliders have choices".

"They're not defending our freedoms, they're laying the foundation for 14 permanent military bases to defend the freedoms of Exxon Mobil and British Petroleum".

"They're not establishing democracy, they're establishing the basis for an economic occupation to continue after the military occupation has ended", it adds.

South Dublin County Council says the matter has been brought to its attention, and appropriate action is being taken to rectify the situation.