Neighbours in a new part of town are experiencing life in the slow lane.
People living in the Kings Reach area of Biggleswade have been experiencing deathly slow internet speeds since they started moving in in 2010.
Jason Doig said: “To say that the internet provision here is poor is an understatement – it’s disgraceful.
“On a good day our speeds are a little over 1MB/s, barely good enough these days for web browsing.
“A friend and colleague of mine lives just off Saxon Drive and is connected to a BT cabinet only a stone’s throw from the one that serves us. He gets 79MB/s. We pay the same for our internet; both from BT.”
Residents reported that they were unable to watch catch-up TV, that downloads are almost prohibitively slow and that the internet barely works if more than one person in the house is using it at once.
The speed inhibits working from home.
The original planning application for the development said the internet would be “fast and convenient”.
Jason added: “BT of course know that we have little alternative to our slow BT lines even though some buy their internet from an alternative provider. In terms of physical connection, BT are the only game in town.”
Residents have repeatedly complained to all involved parties and are always told that meetings are being held. Neighbours believe that the BT cabinets should be upgraded.
A spokesman for BT said: “Kings Reach is less than 5kms from the Biggleswade exchange so this should not be a barrier to getting an acceptable broadband speed.
“Residents should contact their respective service providers so this can be looked at in greater detail.”
A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: “We are aware of the issue which some residents are experiencing with their broadband connections and we have alerted service providers.” A spokesman for Martin Grant homes said he was not aware of a problem.
Central Beds Councillor Richard Wenham said: “We are acutely aware of the concerns voiced by residents in King’s Reach.
“We are actively engaging with the local representatives, the local development consortium and the infrastructure provider to really push for improved broadband services to the area.”