A STUDENT who was rebuked by the Government for his spoof website has received hundreds of e-mails supporting him - including some from Whitehall officials.

People working for Government departments, such as the Home Office and Defra, have written to Thomas Scott to tell him how funny they find his joke.

Mr Scott, 19, who is studying linguistics at York University, has also been contacted by ex-pats living all over the world and has received more than 1,500 e-mails since Wednesday.

"I can't believe the reaction I have had," he said last night. "What started off as a cheap joke that I thought would go no further than a few friends has gone global.

"I've had e-mails from Japan, New Zealand, Canada and an ex-pat living in Bahrain, and the support I have had has been overwhelming.

"Some of the e-mails are unofficial ones from Government addresses and parts of the NHS saying they liked the website.

"They all said the same thing: that it is fantastic and 'don't let the civil servants take you down'."

The fake website, which pokes fun at the Government's Preparing For Emergency booklet, resulted in Mr Scott receiving a "firmly worded" e-mail from the Cabinet Office ordering him to take it down.

Mr Scott initially refused to bow to the pressure, but got more concerned as the week went on without any further contact from Whitehall officials who said they were taking advice on the matter.

But The Northern Echo learned last night that no further action will be taken against the teenager, who lives in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

When the news was passed on to Mr Scott, he said: "That's good to know. It means I can stop worrying about the British Gas van which has been parked across my street for the past two hours.

"Since all this appeared in the newspapers, I have been ever so slightly worried about Special Branch coming to knock at my door."

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "We are not taking any action on it."

The spoof website www.preparingforemergencies.co.uk bears an uncanny resemblance to the official one, but instead of coming from HM Government, comes from HM Department of Vague Paranoia.

The spokeswoman said: "The concern was that they were near enough identical and could confuse people who are trying to get genuine information."

The Government's website, which can be found at www.preparingforemergencies.gov.uk contains "valuable and common-sense advice" for the public in the event of a disaster.