Britain is changing from turning into a nation of internet shoppers, with research revealing that nearly seven in 10 internet users now buy online, spending nearly £500 each year.

And plane tickets are top of the shopping list, beating DVDs, books and CDs.

Continental Research's report points to the sharp uptake of broadband and the growing quality of internet advertising as two reasons behind the growth in online shopping.

More than 17 million adults purchase online, out of 25 million who use the internet at home.

A third said they would increase the amount they spent via the internet, while only one in 10 said they would spend less.

"The number of people looking to make purchases in the next 12 months will probably go to 18 million," said Colin Shaddick, a director of Continental Research.

Broadband use has jumped from 4.2 million in 2004 to 8 million this year and was fuelling a leap in the number of homes accessing the internet.

"Broadband makes the internet a far more accessible and useful tool which can actually provide everyday functionality and service rather than something that you might use now and again.

"For two years home internet access has not grown but in the last 12 months it has jumped 6%."

But the report showed a great divide in Britain - nearly half of British homes have no access to the internet.

While 1.5m homes have come online in the past year, 56% of British households now have internet access, a rise of 6% last year after remaining steady for two years.

But there is a great class divide, with 68% of internet homes falling into the ABC1 white-collar demographic category.

There is also a gender divide, with 52% of men using the internet at home, compared with 44% of women.

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