Pembrokeshire County Council is to spend almost one million pounds installing access to Broadband technology in schools, libraries and other centres.

Among the first to benefit will be schoolchildren, with the County's eight secondary schools being provided with the high-speed connection to the Internet by the end of March.

It is intended that Broadband links will be installed in Pembrokeshire's 78 primary schools during the next three years.

Over the same period, the new technology will also be phased in at learning centres and libraries at various locations around the County.

The total cost to the Council is around £900,000.

The Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, Councillor Maurice Hughes, described it as a major investment by the Authority.

"It is vitally important that our young people develop their IT skills and part of this is ensuring that they have high-speed access to the Internet," he said. "It is investing in their future and that of the County's."

The announcement follows news that the Assembly is providing 10 million pounds to local authorities in the Principality to provide access to the Welsh Lifelong Learning Network.