THE roll out of faster internet continues in Herefordshire in what a BT boss described as "particularly challenging" due to the county being "extraordinarily rural".

Fownhope has become the latest village to be connected to faster broadband through the Fastershire project.

The Fastershire programme, which aims to make faster broadband available to around 90 percent of Herefordshire homes, has so far taken coverage to more than 55 percent of the county.

Kevin Braybrook, a pharmaceutical industry consultant, and his wife Claire run The Bowens Bed and Breakfast in Fownhope, which was one of the first businesses in the village to order a fibre service.

Mr Braybrook, who is on Fownhope Parish Council, said: “A fast, reliable broadband connection is key to running a successful business, and high speed internet has become an essential part of everyday life.

"We operate a B&B business in a rural area, but our guests expect to find the same level of connectivity that they are used to at home. Being able to offer high speed wireless internet enables us to compete with larger hotels in urban areas.”

Kevin also runs his own consultancy business from home and he said the highspeed internet gives him more efficient access to international data and the ability to communicate with clients around the world using video-conferencing.

He said: "The difference that faster broadband makes to the future viability of rural communities like Fownhope is immense. Small businesses across the county will now be able to compete effectively in the international marketplace."

Ian Binks, BT’s regional manager for Herefordshire and the West Midlands, said they recognise the positive impact that better connectivity can have on rural communities.

He added: "Enhanced internet access is critical to the sustainability and growth of rural economies; it empowers better provision of local services and impacts positively on quality of life.

"The roll out of the network is a major engineering task, made particularly challenging in Herefordshire, which is an extraordinarily rural county where no single community outside of the city of Hereford has more than 12,000 residents.”

Once the fibre network has reached an area, the upgrades do not happen automatically – local people have to place an order for the high-speed technology with an internet service provider. For more information go to www.fastershire.com.