THE internet has proved itself extremely useful in enabling all kinds of organisations to pass on information to the public.

It is not expensive to set up a website which can be accessed, for example, by people who are interested in finding out what a charity is all about.

But as anyone with an email account will know in the past couple of years, the internet has been plagued by 'spam' emails - the online equivalent of junk mail.

Some of the millions of internet messages are advertisements for businesses worldwide, some are "opportunities" which sound distinctly dodgy and others contain viruses aimed at wreaking havoc with your computer.

Getting rid of them is a real problem as the North West Air Ambulance is finding out.

The visitors' book on the charity's website -aimed at updating people about its activities - has been blitzed by unwanted emails advertising on-line gambling and non-prescription drugs.

Getting rid of this rubbish is no easy matter as we have seen with international efforts to close down sites pandering to paedophiles.

But we should start by boycotting all the businesses which behave in this way.