The sending of warning letters to net users suspected of piracy will be delayed until the latter half of 2015, the UK government has said.

The delay will disappoint copyright holders keen to drastically reduce levels of piracy.

The letters are an integral part of the Digital Economy Act (DEA) which came into force in 2010.

They were originally due to be sent in 2011 but have been subject to a number of delays, including a court case.

The copyright industry has since found other methods to combat piracy, such as obtaining court orders compelling ISPs to block file-sharing websites.

This system, enforced under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, has proved successful in blocking a number of sites that linked to illegal content, including The Pirate Bay.

BBC News