Millions more drawn into the web

BRITAIN'S love affair with the internet is growing by the day. Nearly half the UK's households now use it for everything from sending emails to booking holidays or buying CDs - double the number in 2000.

New figures show a record 11.7 million homes have internet access - 47% of the number of properties in the country.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 54% of UK adults used the internet either from home or work in the past three months. This was an increase of five% on last year.

Men (57%) use the internet more than women (51%). Internet use increases massively among younger adults, with 78% of those aged 16 to 24 accessing it often, compared to just 16% of the over-65s.

Among regular users of the world wide web, about eight in 10 send emails, a similar number search for information on goods and services and 69% search for holidays.

Almost half of all adults who use the internet do so to order tickets, goods or services, while 47% viewed a government or local council website.