A new campaign to encourage businesses, particularly small to medium-sized firms to use the internet, has been unveiled.

The campaign, by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, starts as another Government-backed initiative for small businesses, Business Link national helpline, closes.

Research shows that despite a number of Government and industry initiatives to wire business up on the web - such as UK Online for Business, launched in 2000 - fewer than a third of the region's 70,000 small to medium-sized enterprises even have plans for a website.

In the race to meet the Government's target of putting 1.5m SMEs online by the end of this year, Yorkshire Forward is now to send CD-roms out to every SME in the area to persuade them to tap into an estimated £8bn worth of e-business.

Mike Cartwright, policy officer for the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, said: "The advantages of using the latest technology by businesses is to be encouraged by all those concerned with raising economic performance and improving competitiveness.

"The region is well down the league tables in terms of its performance and so the chamber welcomes this new scheme.

"We are also involved at a local level in highlighting the advantages of e-commerce and ICT. The chamber has recently set up e-business clubs and we also have a Virtual Business Centre open within the chamber's offices.

''As well as allowing trading on-line, the advantages include the speeding up of procedures, reduction of paperwork, and faster turnaround times."

In addition to the campaign, a drive targeting over 2,000 chartered accountants providing advice to SMEs runs alongside the campaign.

Susan Johnson, Yorkshire Forward's business development director, said: "Companies can now get online for less than 50p per day and start working faster, smarter and more cost effectively on a daily basis."

For further information on the Yorkshire Forward campaign call 0870 780 2002.