Brighton has one of the highest numbers of computer enthusiasts logging on to the internet, results out today reveal.

Nearly 60 per cent of Brighton residents currently use the web compared to the national average of just over 50 per cent.

And 70 per cent consider themselves to be fairly advanced or expert users - the highest number in the UK.

The survey was carried out by the UK Yellow Pages to mark the launch of its new internet guide.

Yet despite the encouraging take-up figures the survey revealed there is still work to be done in educating non-users on the benefits of the internet.

The Yellow Pages research uncovered a high level of apathy among those not yet online.

Nearly two thirds of people not yet online in Brighton said they had no plans to use the web and one in three people not considering getting online said it was because they had no interest in using it.

Almost one third of all respondents in Brighton said they found the internet confusing and nearly half found it frustrating.

Yellow Pages bosses hope their new internet guide will encourage people to log on. It has been delivered to homes and businesses in the Brighton area during the last couple of weeks inside the new edition of the telephone directory.

To launch the guide Yellow Pages has teamed up with UK online, the Government's initiative to help everyone in the UK make the most out of the internet.

Andrew Pinder, the Government's e-Envoy, said: "It is vital to ensure everyone in the UK can benefit from the wealth of information and opportunities available online."

Richard Duggleby, head of external relations of Yell, publisher of Yellow Pages, said: "Getting online is actually much faster and easier than most people seem to think."