Help The Aged has urged the Government to "get switched on" after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that there has been no increase in silver surfers since last year.

Of the 1,051 adults interviewed for the survey, 70% 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. If you cannot access these rivers you cannot take part.

"This is not only about getting cheap car insurance online. It is about equality in the marketplace. 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% 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."