Nearly 50,000 internet domain names belonging to UK businesses and citizens have been taken down this week following the revocation of their .eu domain names.

The .eu sites have now been revoked indefinitely and put up for sale but only to EU residents and citizens.

EURid has confirmed that it will revoke all Brexit-related, non-compliant .eu domain names on 1 January 2022, with these domain names being subsequently released in batches.

From 1 January 2021, organisations, businesses or undertakings established in the UK (but not in the EU), and individuals who lived outside the EU and were not EU citizens, became unable to hold, register or renew .eu domain names in the UK.

Leave.EU switched registration to Republic of Ireland to avoid losing EU domain name.

Error message greets visitors to site registered in name of Irish businessman who claims he does not know campaign group.

Neale Richmond demands inquiry on how Brexit campaign group obtained domain name reserved for EU citizens.

Campaign migrates registered office for its website so it can retain .eu internet address.

UK-based owners of .eu domains could use transfer loophole to keep name.

Thousands of other British businesses and individuals would also be affected.