NEARLY one in six people in parts of the North-East have been left behind in the digital revolution.

Research by the Office For National Statistics found that 16.2 per cent of people across County Durham had either never used the Internet or had not used it in the last three months.

Across the UK, about 10 per cent of the population did not use the web regularly, rising to 32 per cent among the elderly.

Among the other cities with lower than average Internet use were Sunderland, where 18.1 per cent of people had not used the net in the last three months and York, where the figure was 14.5 per cent.

The information was released by the Keep Me Posted campaign, which fights for consumers’ rights to receive paper bills and statements from their banks, utility companies and telecommunication companies.

Judith Donovan CBE, chair of the Keep Me Posted campaign said: “Many assume that a lack of internet use is limited to elderly people or those living in remote rural communities but these statistics show that a significant number of people living in major UK towns and cities are not regularly online.

“Despite these facts, our campaign is increasingly aware of banks, utility providers, telecoms companies and even the Government placing increasing pressure on consumers to manage their affairs online.

“Big business needs to accept that not everyone is ready or willing to ‘go digital’ and it is important that they do not penalise customers for simply requesting to manage their bills and statements via post.”

Grahame Morris, Labour MP for Easington, said factors affecting East Durham included high monthly broadband charges, cost of buying equipment, security concerns or a lack of digital skills.

He said: “While many people are happy to access services, bills and statements online, business and government must accept this is not an option for everyone.”