VILLAGERS and businesses in Everleigh near Pewsey are celebrating the arrival of super-fast broadband in their community today.

The milestone means residents and business owners in the village like Simon Curr, of Hightrees Organisation Limited, can browse the internet with ease.

They join more than 55,000 Wiltshire homes and businesses to have access to fibre optic broadband, thanks to the multi-million pound Wiltshire Online broadband project.

Cabling, the equivalent of 11 times the distance of the Ridgeway walk, has been laid as part of the programme between Wiltshire Council and BT. Additional funding was also received from the UK Government’s Superfast Britain programme.

Claire Perry MP said: “I’m delighted that 55,000 premises across Wiltshire are now able to access fibre broadband as this is a great boost for the local economy.

“I am continuing to champion the rapid rollout to benefit local businesses and communities across the Devizes constituency and I’m especially pleased that homes and businesses in Everleigh are now able to access superfast broadband.

“Everleigh now has telecommunications fit for the 21st Century.”

More than 300 new roadside cabinets have so far been installed across the county as part of the partnership which will deliver broadband speeds of more than 24Mbps to 91 per cent of premises in Wiltshire by March 2016.

Wiltshire Council cabinet member with responsibility for broadband, John Thomson, added: “Benefitting communities such as Everleigh is exactly what this project is all about and I am delighted we have reached this milestone.”