THE Money Saving Expert issued an urgent warning to broadband customers with certain email addresses.

Martin Lewis gave out the advice when fielding calls from viewers on ITV's This Morning.

Martin warned against having an email address with your internet service provider.

Caller, Pauline, rang in to ask the founder of MoneySavingExpert.com for advice on her email associated with her Virgin Media account.

The caller said she wanted to switch to a new broadband supplier but was told by her current provider that she'd lose all her emails, data and contacts associated with it if she did.

Martin said she shouldn't be locked in to paying more and is the "classic reason" to avoid setting up and email with a provider.

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He said: "You need to break that habit of allowing them to lock you in by keeping your email. It will be a pain to do so but I suggest you take the time."

And by doing so, customers could make huge savings worth hundreds every year.

He said: "It can easily save you up to £200 to 300 a year," he explained. And, after a few years you could easily be up to £1,000 gained by going to the cheapest provider each time."

Martin recommended setting up a new email account for free, like a Gmail account, to lay the foundation for making the switch.

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He said: "Start telling everyone you know to email you on Gmail. Auto-forward your current email address to Gmail so that it sends it to your new email address and you should always reply from there.

"Do that for a couple of months until you're pretty sure about everything and then leave.

There are several mainstream email domain providers that don't cost a customer a penny to own. Examples include:

• AOL Mail
• Gmail
• Outlook
• Yahoo! Mail

How can I ensure the best deal when switching?

Providers will often list deals for new and existing customers on their website.

It can be time consuming to check several different websites so you can save time by using a comparison website such as MoneySupermarket and uSwitch.com.

These websites let you compare offers based on factors such as speed, download limits and contract term.

A comparison website will also let you compare broadband deals that come with TV and phone packages.

You may be able to haggle for a cheaper broadband deal with your current provider once your current contract comes to an end.

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There may be special offers for existing customers or you could be offered reduced rates if you find a new deal elsewhere and threaten to leave.

You'll need to check if you can leave your contract or not, and whether there are any exit fees involved.

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