PRIME Minister Tony Blair was impressed.

Microsoft computer boss Bill Gates said it was the best he had ever seen.

But although praise has been heaped on Hampshire County Council's 600,000-page Internet website, it has few fans on Brockenhurst Parish Council.

"It's terrible. Very boring - every page the same," said Ray Weeks, chairman of the village's website sub-committee.

But county council leader Ken Thornber - also councillor for Brockenhurst - stuck up for Hantsweb.

"It is very large and very successful. Bill Gates said it was the best he's seen and Tony Blair had good things to say about it, too," he said.

Councillors agreed Brocken-hurst needed a website to bring it into the 21st century, but the issue was whether to go it alone or tack on to Hantsweb. "If Brockenhurst had its own independent site, it would push up the price but it would give us full commercial independence," said Mr Weeks.

"It would be an opportunity to recoup the cost and provide finance for other parish projects.''

If they opted for the basic site on Hantsweb, it would be cheaper - about £440 - but money-raising advertising was banned.

Councillor Bill Greer said the parish needed to get on with the job. "We should get onto Hants-web right away. And I am convinced there is profit in developing our own commercial site at some stage," he said.

The council agreed to circulate a questionnaire to every business in the village to see how many would be willing to pay for advertisements on the web.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.