Castle Point library bosses have been making sure everyone is hooked up to the internet.

It was revealed last week that millions of people in Britain have yet to send or receive an e-mail - but the borough's residents have no excuse.

Castle Point public libraries now boast top-of-the-range computers that are connected to the internet.

All you need to log on is a valid library card and then you can surf the information superhighway for free.

Canvey was one of the first to log on when it installed eight PCs a year ago, connecting islanders to the rest of the world.

More recently Hadleigh built its own computer suite and now Benfleet has followed suit by installing five brand new PCs.

Manager of Hadleigh library Julie Cook today said: "We are one of the few libraries to have built a special suite to house our computers in.

"There is free use of the internet and we also have programmes such as Word and Excel.

"It does get quite busy during the evenings and weekends, so we advise people to book.

"We also run computer classes for complete novices which are £10 per hour for an individual session or £5 for a group session."

Published Thursday, January 16, 2003

Brought to you by the Evening Echo