Barnard Castle's new broadband praised

Residents in Barnard Castle have welcomed the installation of a new high-speed broadband connection.

Hundreds of homes and businesses will now be able to receive download rates of up to 80Mbps, which is more than enough for the vast majority of HD streaming needs.

Helen Goodman, MP for the Bishop Auckland constituency - of which Barnard Castle is a part - told the Northern Echo: "Given the burden of high fuel costs in the countryside, broadband is even more invaluable. This is a boost for families and small businesses."

Although rural, Barnard Castle has developed a number of small ecommerce businesses that are increasingly relying on online infrastructure for their needs.

Simon Roberson, BT's Regional Partnership Director for the North-East of England, said that both public services and businesses will benefit from the new connections.

Residents will be able to access the new infrastructure in the coming weeks, although other smaller farming communities will face a longer wait.