A family of four claim to be living outside the reach of British law after starting a new country at their home in Carshalton.

Emperor Terry I, 40, and his esteemed son HIH Crown Prince Jonathan Austen, 14, founded the Empire of Austenasia in late September.

The rebel outpost stretches to the edge of their back garden in Green Wrythe Lane and is complete with its own flag and TV station.

Details of its limited history can be found on the popular austenasia.webs.com website, with the main language appearing to be English.

A recent entry describes how two British police officers entered Austenasia to seize a laser pen being shone from the royal residence.

The website states: “As the officers did not enter our territory to prosecute a criminal, they did not go against Act 29. It is fully in their jurisdiction to politely recommend we give them a laser pointer, which I willingly did after they explained how dangerous it could be.”

Prince Jonathan is now asking the Foreign Office to officially recognise Austenasia as an independent state.

He said: “In fact, we have sent three declarations of independence, one to our former MP, one to the British Prime Minister and one to the British Home Office, although we haven’t received a reply from any.

“While we don’t technically have our own currency, as we use the pound sterling, the Chancellor (me) has the power to make our own.

The prince added: “We have only refrained from doing this because it was realised that money could easily be counterfeited.

“We haven’t encountered any difficulties with taxes because, while our subjects don’t pay British taxes under Austenasian law, in practice, all of them do to keep their British citizenships, which they are allowed as well as Austenasian subjectships.”