Third of homes have slow broadband, says report

Millions of families across the UK are struggling with slow internet connections, according to new research.

Data compiled following almost 1.7 million internet speed tests by online price comparison site uSwitch found swathes of properties across towns, cities, villages and rural areas that have slow connections. A report by the BBC said the company claims that while half of addresses are able to get a connection speed of 6.7Mbps or above, a third of UK homes have broadband speeds below 5Mbps.

People living in the village of Winchelsea in East Sussex were found to have an average broadband speed of 1.1Mbps. The government has promised to ensure all households in the UK receive a speed of at least 2Mbps by 2015.

Julia Stent, director of telecoms at uSwitch, said there is clearly still some way to go before government targets are reached.

She said: "Britain might be riding the wave of a super-fast broadband revolution, but what’s really surprising is the number of cities and towns such as Hereford and Carlisle that are suffering from slow broadband speeds."