Claim Shropshire has two-tier internet speeds

Shropshire is becoming a 'two-tier' county for internet speeds with some areas getting super-fast broadband and others struggling with extremely slow speeds, it was claimed today.

Councillor Heather Kidd said that while towns such as Shrewsbury and Wellington were to benefit from super-fast broadband from BT, rural parts of the county were still struggling with slow connections

Her comments came after BT recently announced plans to roll out super-fast broadband to thousands more homes and businesses in the county.

Wellington's exchange is among the latest to be included in the company's £2.5 billion roll-out of fibre-optic broadband.

It will take the number of county homes and businesses in the new super-fast network to more than 82,000 users with the latest upgrades due to be completed next year.

But Councillor Kidd, who represents Chirbury and Worthen on Shropshire Council, said for many people living in rural areas it was a different situation.

She said: "I was reeling after hearing that BT was going to invest in super fast broadband in Shrewsbury and Wellington when we still have no timescale for getting faster broadband in rural areas." She said some people in rural parts of Shropshire were still struggling to access even basic internet.

"It is becoming a two-tier system, some people in rural areas have no internet at all and yet the Government and the council are making everyone do everything online," she said.

Councillor Kidd called on Shropshire Council, which was recently granted £8.2 million by Broadband Delivery UK, to find more capital funding to roll out faster speeds in rural areas.

She said: "The economy in Shropshire is faltering and we need funding."

Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith, cabinet member for IT at Shropshire Council, said: "Having access to good quality broadband is hugely important for residents, and particularly businesses, so we feel it's our duty as a council to do what we can to improve the situation.

"Improving broadband in Shropshire is a challenge for everyone, not just the council, and we are working incredibly hard on improving coverage in rural areas, and that includes lobbying BT to improve its infrastructure in the county."

He said there was a publicly-funded pilot for wireless broadband in the south of the county, and the council had heavily invested in upgrading its wide area network.