1 in 4 UK adults, including 1.4m women downloaded pornographic images last year

Record numbers of men and women are downloading pornography from the internet, making Britain the fastest-growing market in the world for the booming £20bn adult website industry.

More than nine million men - almost 40 per cent of the male population - used pornographic websites last year, compared with an estimated two million in 2000.

Women are among the fastest-growing users of pornography on the internet, with a 30 per cent rise from just over one million to 1.4 million in the past 12 months.