SORTING out “spam” e-mails costs the average Huddersfield business £392 a year in lost productivity for each of its employees, a survey has claimed.

Computer support firm Ulysses IT said that up to 75% of e-mails received by companies were spam – and a huge amount of time is wasted reading and deleting them.

Director Malcolm Pow said: “Businesses need to get the most out of their people. Having them waste time dealing with spam is money down the drain.”