Barnsley resident persuades BT to install fibre broadband

A resident from a housing estate in Barnsley has arranged for the area to be introduced to fibre optic broadband following a campaign that was aimed at service provider BT.

John Clapham has been assured that the Water Royd Drive estate will be upgraded to superfast speeds after long-running negotiations that began when he became frustrated with his slow connection.

He told the Star that simple tasks like streaming videos and updating apps are impossible with the current connection, which operates at a speed well below the UK average.

BT has now agreed to carry out the engineering work, but residents must contribute £11,000 towards the rollout from their own pockets. Mr Clapham admitted that the prospect of having to ask local residents for funding meant he was "ready to throw the towel in".

But an initial meeting he staged was attended by around 70 residents who pledged their support to the project. Homeowners are now providing a £50 contribution per household in order to meet BT's conditions.