The number of people now using broadband services is putting a strain on bandwidth in the UK, one expert has suggested.

Speaking to WhatPC?, member of the British Computing Society and chief executive of MLL Telecom, Kenny Kammal, has highlighted the problem of bandwidth being gobbled up, which he has dubbed the 'broadband crunch'.

Mr Kammal said: "Network traffic has dramatically increased and bandwidth is being devoured more quickly. This puts huge pressure on the broadband infrastructure."

He went on: "Demand is growing not only in terms of the number of lines, but also in ever-increasing bandwidth due to a wider variety of applications, such as IPTV, mobile broadband, fixed line, fixed mobile convergence, voice over IP and Wi-Fi ¬ - all adding to the crunch."

The rise of video streaming and download services such as the BBC's iPlayer and 4oD from Channel 4 is thought to have been a major factor in the increased strain being put on bandwidth, as more broadband users go online to watch their favourite programmes.

The BBC Sport website recently enjoyed its highest volume of traffic in a single day - 4.4 million individual users - mainly down to the coverage of the Olympics shown on its iPlayer.