Lycos UK is canning its POP3 email service later this month.

In an email to punters the company said: " Lycos will discontinuePOP3 service on the 21st of October 2003. But don't worry, you can still access your Lycos Email through Outlook and Outlook Express by using our new synchronisation tool.

"Synchronisation lets you delete, create or move folders in Outlook and the same will happen automatically in Lycos's web interface."

A spokesman for Lycos said execs had made a "business decision" to ditch the service.

Lycos also intends to launch a "premium" email service later this month costing from £12 a year. ®