That, said Ofcom, amounted to 15 million people in the UK with the survey showing that many people found keeping away from the internet made them feel better.

Ofcom said that 25 percent of the 15 million people spent a day without the internet, 20 percent took a week off, and five percent laid off their web addition for a whole month.

Of the addicts, a third felt that being away from the net made them feel more productive, 27 percent thought it was liberating and 25 percent claimed they enjoyed life more.

But 16 percent were scared they were missing out, 15 percent felt “lost” and 14 percent felt “cut off” from the world.

As for the web addicts, over a third of people find it hard to disconnect while as many as 59 percent are hooked on their devices.

Adults in the UK spend an average of a day a week online and one in 10 people access the internet over 50 times a day.

Ofcom executive Jane Rumble said: “Our love affair with the web isn’t always plain surfing and many people admit to feeling hooked.”