'Thousands of homes' to get faster broadband

Openreach will soon be upgrading seven exchange areas across the West Northamptonshire area.

A council has said thousands more homes in a county are in line for faster broadband.

New equipment is being installed in seven exchange areas in Northamptonshire as part of a £6m programme.

West Northamptonshire Council said it was a "crucial step" in making sure all communities can access faster internet services.

It added that 21,000 homes and businesses would be able to access broadband with "gigabit-capable technology".

The areas set to get the upgrade included West Haddon, a village near Daventry and Pattishall on the A5 near Towcester.

Silverstone village, in the shadow of the famous racing circuit, was also on the list alongside Middleton Cheney, a large village near Brackley.

Weston Favell, on the edge of Northampton, completed the latest list.

The village of Pattishall near Towcester was in line to get faster broadband

The council said residents and businesses would get download speeds of 1Gbps (Gigabits per second), which is equivalent to 1,000Mbps (Megabits per second).

The average download speed in 2018 across the UK was just 46.2Mbps.

Middleton Cheney near Brackley is in line for the upgrade

West Northamptonshire Council said this announcement "equates to an investment of over £6.3m into the local economy, taking Openreach's Full Fibre investment to over £87.3m in the county".

It added that business owners can check when their area will get the new service on Openreach's map and postcode checker.