The web feed of the House of Assembly crashed after a rush of people tuned in to hear a bizarre row sparked by Opposition Leader Marc Bean.

House of Assembly Speaker Randy Horton said: “Our server was overwhelmed as a result of significant increased demand for our web services and therefore crashed.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this disruption in service may have caused our web users.”

Mr Bean and Independent MP Terry Lister clashed in the House on Friday, June 13, during a debate on mandatory random drug tests for MPs.

Mr Bean listed a string of what he said were hypothetical situations, including how people might react if he had been an elder in a church and kicked out for stealing while also committing adultery.

And Mr Bean added: “I asked all these questions and for the response I will yield to the Honourable Member of Parliament for constituency 33 (Mr Lister) to answer.”

Mr Lister said he had never been kicked out of a church or stole from one and that he had once fallen and injured himself while out walking near the Railway Trail, and had never been beaten up.

And he asked the House what people would think if he had taken bribes as a Minister and openly bought drugs or drank while driving.

MPs statements in the House are covered by Parliamentary privilege, which allows them to discuss matters that could lead to legal action for defamation if said outside Parliament.

The afternoon session of the House, which contained the exchange, was unavailable for several days on the Government’s website.

Mr Horton said: “We implemented emergency measures in the interim and are undertaking steps to put in place the correct capacity to accommodate the continually-increasing demand for www.parliament.bm web services.”