BT has claimed a scheme it operates offering free broadband access to community groups could help get unemployed people back to work.

A study published by the telecoms giant revealed that more than 70 per cent of employers would be unlikely to offer an interview to a candidate who lacked basic computer or internet skills.

Despite this, one-sixth of adults in the UK have never used the web, with BT warning that they are at risk of becoming isolated from the "increasingly digital world".

Some 43 per cent of disabled people have not been online, which means that more than half of British citizens who have never accessed the internet have a disability.

Over the past two years, BT has provided free broadband connections to more than 380 community groups.

Chet Patel, regional director for London at BT, said: "The internet can make a staggering difference to people's lives, whether it is helping them into employment or offering them new leisure and educational opportunities."

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