Small business owners are guilty of "astonishing" levels of website neglect, according to new research.

When business owners were asked in a recent survey what they wanted from their websites, the majority said that the idea was to increase sales. 

However, web company Netflare's latest research indicates these alarming statistics: 

- 23 per cent of websites looked at had not been updated since their launch. 

- Only 8 per cent of respondents had an e-commerce element on their sites. 

- 25 per cent of companies have no way of tracking how many sales were made as a result of people visiting their websites. 

- Over a third had no budget whatsoever for regular website updates. 

- Of those that did update their sites, the annual spend was around £250.

Jon Beal, managing director of Netflare, said: "We were completely staggered by the tiny percentage of small business owners who were actively using their websites to generate sales."

"Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that consumers spent £102 billion in online purchases in the UK alone between 2005-2006.The UK has the most active online population of any country in Europe with around 21 million of us logging on every day," he adds.

"Some 72 per cent of those are using the internet to make purchases of goods and services. The fact that small businesses are neglecting this huge and growing marketplace is astonishing. It is beyond comprehension that small business owners are ignoring one of the fastest growing sales opportunities there has ever been."