VILLAGERS in Compton Bassett have enlisted the help of Liberal Democrat peer Lord Nigel Jones of Cheltenham in their battle for better broadband.

The village near Calne, which has a population of around 250 people including Robbie Williams and comedian Michael McIntyre, has become so frustrated with inaction over broadband services that it has taken its campaign to the House of Lords.

Lord Jones has tabled four Parliamentary Questions asking if they will make Compton Bassett a test case for all those rural communities throughout the UK that suffer from broadband starvation.

His question is: “To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will use Compton Bassett in Wiltshire as a pilot test case for installing superfast Broadband in rural areas due to its special and unusual challenges.”

Lord Jones said: “It is quite ridiculous that in 2015, villages like Compton Bassett with over 25 business users, six farms and a growing population of those who need broadband connectivity for basic amenities, appear to be short changed by both the local county council and British Telecom who have ignored repeated requests by the local community for a service provision and seem to be tied up in pointless bureaucracy.”

Residents claim that Compton Bassett is split between those with no broadband provision due to their distance from the Calne exchange and those with minimal connectivity from the Hilmarton exchange.

Businesses situated on the Calne exchange have seen the cabinet they are attached to already upgraded as part of BT’s commercial activities though they are too far from the infrastructure to benefit.

Within the current round of funding Wiltshire Council is not allowed to invest in the area as it is classed as having been upgraded commercially and state aid rules do not allow them to invest.

The council is currently going through procurement for phase two funding to consider communities that have been upgraded commercially but who are not able to access a superfast service.

The council will not know which communities will benefit from this additional funding until June 2015.

Pete Szczesiak, chairman of the parish council, said: “We are not asking for special treatment because of who lives in our village, but because of the number of farms and elderly people who need connectivity with which to run their daily lives and businesses.

“The village is split into two by a kind of Broadband apartheid policy being dictated by Wiltshire Council and British Telecom. They simply seem to ignore our pleas for help.

“We must represent thousands of other villages throughout the UK who have a similar problem and the party that can solve this issue will be a strong favourite to do well in the forthcoming election.”

Lord Jones has requested an answer to his question in the next fortnight before Parliament breaks up for the election.