Internet coverage reaches 80 per cent of British households

Data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that internet coverage in Britain has now extended to reach 80 per cent of the population.

Around 21 million British households are connected to the web in 2012, up from 19 million - or 70 per cent of the population - when figures were collated last year.

It means that the number of homes with internet access has increased by 7.1 million since 2006, when directly comparable records began, with 67 per cent of British adults now using a computer every day.

Of those homes with web access, 93 per cent are using fixed broadband connections, while 30 per cent of those in this group are currently utilising cable or fibre optic broadband services.

Meanwhile, of the 5.2 million households that still lack an internet connection, the most common explanation given was that homeowners did not believe they needed it.

This comes in the same week that culture secretary Jeremy Hunt outlined plans to deliver Europe's best broadband network in the UK by 2015, with a focus on providing widespread access to superfast services wherever possible.