Businesses in Bath are losing a total of £1.8 million every day because of poor internet service, according to new research.

City-based internet service provider Gradwell questioned 300 small and medium-sized Bath businesses about the quality of their broadband connection.

Its findings showed that 72 per cent did not have a plan for coping with connection failure and that 26 per cent lost their broadband on average once a month.

Managing director Peter Gradwell said this translated into a £1.8 million loss every day.

He said: "We were really surprised by the survey results. Most respondents claimed that staff use broadband for more than three hours each day, for business critical tasks, yet few had a back-up plan.

"The Autumn Statement provided small businesses with welcome news that broadband is to be made available to more areas of the country, but as more businesses begin to use broadband they must take responsibility for ensuring that their connection is secure and reliable."

The news comes just after Bath and North East Somerset Council pledged to sign up to a national scheme to invest in faster, reliable broadband.

The £2.724 million fund aims to provide most homes and businesses across the area with superfast broadband by 2015, and the council will be contributing £475,000 of its own money.

Smaller businesses, particularly in rural areas, have long complained that their poor internet connection was holding them back at a time when they needed all the help they could get.

Gradwell is offering Bath-based small and medium-sized businesses a free IT health check, which can help tackle computer viruses, fractured landline phone connections or broadband speed problems until the end of February.