Sixty-three percent of UK households now have broadband access, up from 56% last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The 2009 National Statistics Opinions (Omnibus) Survey revealed 16.5m households now have broadband access, up from 6.6m since 2006. The penetration of broadband is now at 90% of all households with internet access.

Around 18.3m UK households have internet access, representing 70% of all UK households. This is 1.85m higher than a year ago.

Use of the internet has increased the most among those aged 65 and over, up 15% in the past year, compared with a 3% increase for 16-24-year-olds.

The report also highlighted the relationship of internet access and social inclusion as almost all people who had a degree or equivalent (95%) have internet access, while only 52% of those with no formal qualifications do.