‘It’s discrimination’: millions of Britons frozen out in the digital age

From banking to shopping and parking, consumers without access to tech are left frustrated

Many people in Britain can't live without their smartphone and use it to manage all aspects of their lives, from banking to shopping and socialising. But what if the opposite is true, and this clever technology is erecting invisible barriers that leave you unable to do basic things such as pay online, contact your GP or even park.

This is what it feels like for Jean Peters*. The 83-year-old widow, who lives alone in a south Cambridgeshire village, complains that everything is going online at a faster and faster rate" to the detriment of those who can't keep up".