FREE and cut-price Internet sessions are starting as Bury Council tries to bring the world wide web to everyone.

The New Year brings the first projects in a plan to provide free access to the Internet and computers by 2003.

Some £550,000, from the council and the Government's New Opportunities Fund, is being spent in local libraries on the project. It will pay for more than 100 new PCs at 11 libraries across the borough.

The new schemes include:

CD-ROMs: library information, learning and junior CD-ROMs will be free for everyone, anytime.

Visual and hearing impaired people will have free access at specialist units in Bury, Whitefield and Ramsbottom.

Jobseekers (aged over 20) will have free assisted access to Internet and word processing on Monday afternoons at Bury Library. Over-60s and those aged 17 or 18 can have one hour a day free Internet and word processing at any time.

Registered learners (aged over 16) can have one free hour per day with the Passport to Learning scheme.

Those aged under 16 can have 15 minutes free on Junior Internet computers at Bury and Prestwich libraries. Other libraries will offer 15 minutes on Internet computers, daily between 3pm-6pm and on Saturday mornings. Homework clubs at all libraries will offer 15 minutes free access plus two free print outs and one floppy disk.

Councillor Sylvia Mason, executive member for communications and community development, said: "We are at the start of something very exciting here, the chance for everyone, whether they have a PC at home, to have access to computers and the Internet.

"Our libraries pride themselves on being at the heart of their communities, and this programme will enhance that role."

The council will continue to run courses such as its hour-long Get You Started on the Internet sessions.

Coun Mason added: "I am particularly pleased that we are concentrating on our older residents, as well as our younger ones, in the first phase of this tremendous new initiative."