Cable broadband company Virgin Media has joined forces with Universal Music to crack down on illegal file sharing.

The internet service provider (ISP) will work with the record company to offer its broadband customers a DRM-free music download and streaming platform as an alternative to illegal peer-to-peer downloads.

It also announced plans to suspend the accounts of users caught repeatedly illegally downloading and sharing files.

Neil Berkett, Chief Executive of Virgin Media, said: "In terms of both convenience and value, our new music service will be superior to anything that's available online today and provides a fair deal to both consumers and artists."

Stating that no customers will be sued or permanently disconnected, the ISP added that it will not use network monitoring or interception of user traffic to identify illegal file sharers.

The announcement was made before the publication of the Digital Britain report, which set out proposals for new regulations to tackle internet piracy.

It is not yet known how the planned legislation will impact upon Virgin Media's plans.