The total number of British Internet users reached 10.3m in the first three months of 1998, or 23% of adults, though many are using the net only for e-mail.

Surfing is less common. But 13% of the population, or 5.9m people, have used the Web, more than double the number a year ago.

The survey also found that the Web is becoming a crucial research tool for consumers, with 2m people using the Net to investigate products and prices before purchasing.

Web users were found to be particularly affluent, with 46% having a household income of more than £25,000 and 70% owning their own home.

The findings emerged from the interTrak survey of 9,000 Europeans - including 3,000 Britons - carried out by opinion pollster NOP. It was commissioned by business consultants KPMG, Internet search engine company Yahoo! and IT publisher Ziff Davis.