Many customers are not taking advantage of the offers that can be gained from an extended broadband deal, it has been stated.

Research by BroadbandChoices.co.uk found that out of 10,000 respondents, 30 per cent did not bundle up their broadband service with any phone or TV services, even though many could be saving up to £230 a year through this method.

Michael Phillips, the product director of the company, said that nearly 60 per cent of people had not shopped around for a better broadband deal in the last four years.

He added: "We would encourage these consumers to get online and compare providers to see what bundled packages are available to them - they will almost certainly find they can enjoy superior services for much less than they are currently paying, with the added benefit of only having one monthly bill to keep track of."

Last month, BroadbandChoices.co.uk said the Universal Service Broadband Commitment of a 2MB average connection across the UK was "pretty underwhelming", particularly given that Europe experiences an average of 6MB.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).