In a sign of the times, more Britons are leaving internet passwords within their Wills contributing to our nation’s ever-growing £2.3 billion digital inheritance.

A poll of 2,000 adults found 25% had more than £200 worth of films, video and music stored online and nearly a third considered their haul important enough to be left with loved ones should the worst happen.

And while ‘cloud’ services such as Hotmail, Facebook and similar websites continue to grow in popularity, 11% of those surveyed have already put internet passwords in their wills. According to online company Rackspace, 53% of those polled held ‘treasured possessions’ in such services.

Fabio Torlini, the Vice President of Rackspace, said: "The cloud is becoming more and more part of our everyday work and personal life. With the large investment so many UK adults seem to be making in digital treasures, it's imperative that people consider the associated security and legacy implications.”

Handing over passwords to online services is just one of the many ways Wills and Probate has evolved in recent years.

Jill Rushton, a specialist solicitor in Wills and Probate at regional law firm Stephensons Solicitors LLP said: “We have started to accommodate digital estate planning and to bring digital legacies to our clients’ attention.

"People are increasingly living their social lives online – this includes not only email but social networking through Facebook and Twitter, as well as building up vast collections of their favourite music and photographs which are not backed up in physical format.

“These ‘digital assets’ can be very valuable to some, and even items such as passwords can be priceless to the growing number of people who spend a lot of their leisure time online. Making special requests in a Will is nothing new, but we are seeing a growing number of people who want to make sure their digital possessions are looked after and passed on.

“It’s vital that those who want to pass on their digital inheritance make provisions for it in their Will, which can set out passwords, log ins and also who the assets should be passed on to.”

Stephensons’ Wills and Probate team is able to offer people a range of ways to make their Will, including an innovative online tool which gives people the ability to draw up their own Will, prompted by a range of questions. The Will is automatically sent to the firm’s qualified Wills and Probate solicitors to verify the details.

For further information about making a Will, visit www.4willsandprobate.co.uk, a specialist website created by Stephensons to cater specifically for this area of law.