AN ANCIENT picture-postcard community at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds is laying claim to be Britain's fastest village for connecting to the internet.
Brantingham, which has a population of just 370, has raced into the internet fast lane after more than two thirds of homes and businesses in the village signed up to superfast broadband from local communications provider KC.
As a result, the village now has an average download speed of 78 megabits per second (Mbps).
That is almost four times faster than the UK's average broadband speed of 17.8Mbps, and more than 100 times faster than the 0.65Mbps endured by residents of Station Road in Swineshead, Lincolnshire – the slowest street in this part of the country.
Tina Wyatt, chairman of Brantingham Parish Council, said: "Good broadband speeds are increasingly important to people wherever they live and we're thrilled that Brantingham's on the map as the fastest village for internet connections.
"Members of the parish council worked closely with KC to promote the benefits of fibre broadband and it's great to see how well it's been received by residents. "
So far, 50 of the 72 properties in Brantingham have hooked up to KC's fibre-based Lightstream service, giving them connectivity most city dwellers in the UK can only imagine.
The lightning-fast internet speeds enjoyed by residents belie Brantingham's sleepy image.
A conservation village, Brantingham is recorded in the Domesday Book, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
With its delightful green, duck pond and centuries-old pub, Brantingham is a popular spot for ramblers and dog owners who enjoy walks in and around the village.
Dr Andrew Milner is among the residents now connected to the superfast service.
He operates Sun Organics, which supplies organic-based fertilisers to farmers and growers, from his home in the village, and said: "Having worked in large offices for much of my life, I am used to having immediate access to information online, as well as undertaking video conferencing calls without any problems.
"Trying to work in the same way in a rural environment, until now, has been incredibly frustrating – waiting interminably for files to download or be sent, and with video conference calls almost impossible.
"With KC Lightstream, we are now operating in rural Brantingham at 21st-century standards with instant access to everything we need without buffering and delays."
Because one of the main factors affecting copper broadband speeds is the distance from a property to the nearest telephone exchange, many rural areas of the UK suffer slow download speeds.
Superfast fibre technology can solve this problem, but it is expensive to deploy, and the relatively small number of potential customers in rural areas mean the costs often do not add up for providers.
However, KC's Lightstream roll-out is helping East Yorkshire avoid the "digital divide" seen elsewhere in the country.
Since KC began rolling out the service in 2011, it has been made available in villages and hamlets across East Yorkshire, including Woodmansey, Weel, Paull, Skidby and Thorngumbald.
Sue Helmont, KC's consumer director of consumer services, said: "Our experience in Brantingham and other villages is that while it can be challenging to get superfast speeds to rural areas, once it's achieved the response from customers is fantastic."
Brantingham is also the first village in Yorkshire that is ready for a fibre-only world – as well as broadband being delivered via fibre cables directly to customers' properties, voice services are also provided to the village through fibre.
