Households in Bromyard are being given access to ultrafast fibre optic broadband for the first time.

A £1.5 million project is building a full fibre network in the town - and the first premises are now able to access the service.

Full fibre is a more dependable internet service and allows up to 1Gbps download speeds that are 20 times faster than the national average. 

The network is being rolled out by wholesale firm Fibre Heroes.

READ MORE: Broadband firms urged to axe mid-contract exit fees as prices rise

In order to access the new speeds, households and businesses will need to place an order through one of the broadband providers operating in the area.

These include BeFibre, IDNet, Gigabit Networks, Link Broadband, Merula, OctaPlus, Redline, Squirrel, and ZYBRE.

As part of its mission to “connect the underserved towns of the UK with superior broadband”, Fibre Heroes has rolled out fibre networks in a number of towns and villages in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

Ross, Leominster, Newent, Bourton, Evesham, Pershore and Malvern have all benefited from the rollout.

James Warner, CSO of Fibre Heroes, said: “We are very happy to be providing the town of Bromyard with an ultrafast internet connection.

“Local homes and businesses in Bromyard will now be a leading UK town when it comes to digital services.

“The internet is an important part of daily life, and it has a real impact on how communities operate and the way we live our lives. We can’t wait to serve the local residents through our internet service partners.” 

To stay up to date with the progress of the build in Bromyard and the rest of the country, you can register your details on the Fibre Heroes website.

Broadband providers are being urged to drop expensive penalties for customers leaving mid-contract.

Millions of customers are about to see their bills go up by 14% or more, but because those price rises are written into the terms and conditions of contracts, Ofcom does not class them as ‘unexpected’ and so does not require providers to let customers terminate for free.

Consumer champion Which? says this leaves customers in a “lose-lose situation”.