A third of British households do not have internet access - and 2million never intend to use it

One in three households in Britain still don't have internet access, with 2million declaring they have no intention of ever going online, new research has revealed.

The majority of those who shirked the web said they didn't need it, didn't understand the technology or found computers too expensive.

Almost a quarter told the Office of National Statistics that they deliberately avoided the internet - up from three per cent in 2006.

In 2008, 65 per cent of UK households, or 16.5 million, had internet access.

This marked an increase of 1.23 million households since 2007, according to the survey.

Education plays a key role in people's decision to have internet access in their home.

Almost all adults (93 per cent) aged under 70 who have a degree or equivalent qualification are estimated to have the internet at home.

Age is also a major factor. Help The Aged urged the Government to 'get switched on' after the survey revealed 70 per cent of those aged 65 or over had never used the web.

David Sinclair, Head of Policy for the charity fighting for the rights of older people, said: 'Absolutely no progress has been made in getting older people online and the spotlight is now on Government and the industry to get switched on. Nearly 7 million people aged 65 have never used the internet.

'Exclusion from modern society is increasingly less about being able to get to the library and more about being able to access the rivers of information flowing in and out of British homes each day.

'We know internet access can mean a difference of hundreds of pounds over the year from deals on utility bills, food and all other manner of other goods. In a time when costs are rising should we not allow the poorest among us a chance to keep afloat?'

However, although many older people are not accessing the internet, of the 26 per cent who had used it in the previous three months, more than half had surfed the net on a daily basis.

Mr Sinclair said: 'When older people are given the opportunity to use internet facilities they are enthusiastic. But for those who want to learn, more adult courses should be available at affordable prices.

'A Catch-22 situation we have is that current courses are often displayed on the internet, the exact place those who want to learn are excluded from.'

Those in the South East of England were most likely to log on with 74 per cent online - a nine per cent leap from last year.

However those in the North East and Northern Ireland lagged far behind with just 56 per cent having internet access.