MALVERN is in line for a large slice of a £584,000 National Lottery grant to increase computer access at Worcestershire libraries.

The money will fund a massive increase in the network of computers the public can use to access the Internet.

At the moment there are 40 such terminals in Worcestershire libraries, three of which are at Malvern.

The new money will fund an additional 161, with 17 planned for Malvern.

"I'm delighted we have got it," said Malvern Chase councillor Diane Rayner, chairman of the council's cultural and community services committee.

"We've been struggling to get internet terminals into libraries for a good few years now. We have managed 40, we will have 201 at the end of this exercise, that's got to be good."

The money was announced under the Lottery's New Opportunities Fund, a total of more than £5 million being shared by eight local authorities.

Grants are being made in line with government demands to link every public library in the UK to the Internet, creating a so-called People's Network.

The bulk of the computers currently housed at Malvern are for Online@malvern, providing education courses in a scheme supported by the county council, Worcester College of Technology and Evesham College.

The library could also be in line for a refurbishment after being named as a priority case by the county council, along with Pershore, Bromsgrove, Rubery and Cofton Hackett, funds being identified as part of the recent budget process.