One million adults in the North West - or one fifth - lack the basic skills to use email, a search engine, browse the internet and complete on line forms.

And it's claimed the North West has the highest number of small and medium businesses and charities without basic online skills.

The charity Go ON UK, aims to cut that by 25 per cent in 12 months. It wants to make the UK the world’s most digitally skilled nation.

Go ON North West launched today will build on the success of a Liverpool pilot campaign which cut offline adults by 55 per cent in just 18 months.

Tristan Wilkinson, Deputy CEO Go ON UK said: “The unprecedented results of the Go ON Liverpool pilot campaign provided us with a blueprint.

"It’s time for us to focus our combined energies on the whole of the North West region whilst giving a boost to Liverpool residents and businesses”

Gordon Birtwistle MP and Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Burnley and Padiham says “Digital skills are essential to interact fully across a broad range of sectors. They are crucial in being able to keep up with the expertise of other first-class nations around the world."

Phil Swan is Director of iNetwork, a public service organisation in the North West, providing high quality and cost effective services to communities.

He said "It is crucial that as many people as possible in the North West have Basic Online skills.