Herefordshire is worst for average broadband speeds

Herefordshire is the worst county in England for average broadband speeds according to figures compiled by the County Council Network.

The data shows that the county has an average download speed of 24Mbps while the national total average download speed is 43.6Mbps, according to Ofcom figures collated in May/June last year.

Just 12 out of 391 local councils have reached the UK target of 95% superfast broadband coverage, according to Ofcom.

Based on data from the County Council Network, the worst performing counties for average broadband speed are Herefordshire, Cornwall and Somerset. While the best are Hertfordshire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey.

Mark Pocock, communications expert at broadbandchoices.co.uk, said that access to technology is a staple requirement and reliance on high-quality connectivity will only increase.

“There was good news in the autumn statement that there will be a £200 million investment into superfast broadband that will start by targeting some of the most poorly served areas in the country including the borderlands and the Welsh Valleys, will have a massive impact on those communities,” he added.

“Whilst this is positive, we need to continue to keep the pressure on for this to be prioritised by councils and decisions makers to put a real focus connectivity in order to protect the productivity of the UK workforce.

“We analysed almost 400 UK council websites and Ofcom performance statistics, and there was evidence that many councils have missed their own targets and deadlines for improving broadband connectivity in their areas.

“Whilst there are slow improvements to the overall infrastructure, there are big improvements households can make to have a significant impact on their speeds now by knowing what they can have and shopping around for the best service.”

Fastershire, the joint broadband improvement project between Herefordshire and Gloucestershire county councils, recognises that there are still homes which cannot access fast internet speeds.

But a spokesperson said that superfast coverage in the county has increased significantly from less than 1% in 2012 to 85.9% today.

He said: “The county also boasts some of the highest full fibre coverage at over 13% of properties, significantly higher than the national average of around only 5%.

“The project recognises that there are still properties that require access to faster broadband and the stage 3 contract with Gigaclear in rural areas will increase full fibre coverage significantly.

“The stage 3 contract with BT in Hereford and recently awarded stage 4 contract with Airband will help extend superfast coverage to 97% and will make Herefordshire one of the best connected areas in the country.

“Residents and businesses should check if they can upgrade to a fibre service by visiting www.fastershire.com and using the address checker.”