Selby ranked 17th by Google and the Countryside Alliance in a study of rural areas whose business communities have grown the most due to Internet use.

Google shortlisted the rural villages of Selby and Malton with the highest online economic activity, and then ranked them in terms of the percentage increase in local enterprises using AdWords over the last year. Selby showed a 22.2 per cent increase.

Nigel commented: “The Internet is playing a leading role in Selby's economic growth, and really helping to boost local businesses while contributing overall to the wider British economy. I hope this encourages other local businesses in Selby and the surrounding area to get online and grow their businesses using the Internet's tools.”

David Fieldsend, chairman of the Selby Chamber of Commerce, said: “In the last year we've covered the entire town with free WiFi to provide local businesses with a central gateway to advertise to visitors and residents. On average we achieve around 700 hits per day on our free Wifi service - highlighting a huge appetite among local businesses and tourists alike for goods and services online."