THE number of regular internet users in Oxfordshire rose by 22,000 in the first three months of this year compared to the same period two years ago.

New figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 482,000 adults in the county went online at least once in the past three months from January to March 2015.

This was an increase of 4.8 per cent from the 460,000 in the first quarter of 2013, meaning Oxfordshire had the fourth-highest percentage of regular internet users in the UK, up from 23rd two years ago.

In 2013, 87 per cent of those aged 16 or over in the county regularly used the internet, but that figure now stands at 93.2 per cent.

The increase comes as more areas in rural parts of Oxfordshire get wired up for fast broadband connections.

Wantage MP Ed Vaizey, Minister of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries since May 2010, said being able to access the internet could improve communities.

He said: “If you work for a big company and commute to London you might be able to work from home two days a week and that will save on transport costs and emissions.

“But you may also be able to shop at home instead of in London and that benefits all sorts of small businesses.

“I think older people who might feel isolated or unable to leave their homes can contact their family and friends by Skype or email.”

Thousands of homes in the county have been connected to the internet– or to faster internet – in recent years as part of a range of schemes.

In March, the Better Broadband for Oxfordshire programme reached the milestone of connecting 40,000 premises to superfast broadband.

The scheme, which is a partnership between Oxfordshire County Council and BT, aims to give 71,000 homes and businesses access to superfast broadband speeds of 24 megabits per second and above by the end of 2017.

Residents in Northmoor, Bablock Hythe and Moreton, West Oxfordshire, got together to secure a £180,000 rural community broadband fund grant from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs last year. The grant was matched by broadband provider Gigaclear.

Broadband group leader Graham Shelton said it had helped dozens of properties in the area connect to broadband, some of which had never had internet access before.

He said: “Every single property now has a plot outside its front door with fibre internet cable in it.

“We get 50mbps upload and download speed.

“Before, some people had virtually nothing because they were so far from an exchange.

“If people have broadband, they will use the internet more. Usage is going up because the infrastructure is there to support it.”

The Better Broadband for Oxfordshire Programme is backed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Mr Vaizey said: “In my constituency we are at the end of the line, as it were.

“The programme has meant homes which would not otherwise have got broadband now get it.

“I think it can have a positive impact on enterprise and also for our environment and communities.

“We are hoping by the end of the year to have a clear idea about producing a clear programme to deliver broadband everywhere by 2019.”