SOME of the most rural villages in Warwickshire are set to benefit from superfast broadband access thanks to a £10 million investment.

Alcester, Great Alne and Studley will be able to get faster fibre broadband for the first time in the coming months due to the expansion of the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Superfast Broadband roll-out.

The partnership started connecting the first county premises to faster fibre broadband two and half years ago as part of the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme.

Since then, engineers from Openreach have installed more than 300 new roadside cabinets, making fibre available to more than 54,000 homes and businesses.

Lead partners Warwickshire County Council and BT announced the expansion on Monday, October 3.

Councillor Alan Cockburn, cabinet portfolio holder for finance and property at Warwickshire County Council, said: "We always said that this project was about bringing superfast broadband to the hardest to reach areas, and that is very evident in this latest wave.

"A lot of people who would never have got faster broadband will see a real uplift through this work."

Colin Bannon, BT’s regional director for the West Midlands, added: "Rolling out fibre broadband to some parts of rural Warwickshire can be more complex because of the additional infrastructure and equipment needed.

"Once an area has gone ‘live’, local households and businesses who opt for an upgrade will notice a much more reliable, faster connection."

For more information visit cswbroadband.org.uk.