Superfast Lancashire’s Business Support Programme is helping Lancashire businesses make the most of superfast broadband, giving a vital boost to the county’s economy, according to independent research.

A survey of hundreds of businesses, which undertook specialist digital courses run by the Leyland-based Superfast Lancashire Business Support Programme (SLBSP), showed well over half (61 per cent) reporting an increase in online sales and nearly half (46 per cent) expecting to create jobs in the next 12 months.

Residents and businesses in Lawford Heath, Rugby have been celebrating the switching on of the 200th superfast broadband cabinet installed thanks to the CSW Broadband programme.

It’s around 16 months since the CSW Broadband partnership started connecting the first premises to faster fibre broadband.

With the installation of 200 roadside cabinets, engineers from Openreach - BT’s local network business - have already made the high-speed fibre optic technology available to nearly 40,000 homes and businesses.

Councillor Alan Cockburn, deputy leader of Warwickshire County Council said: "It is amazing to see that we are celebrating the 200th cabinet in the CSW Broadband roll-out, just 16 months after the first cabinet went live.”

Nearly 16,000 Isle of Wight homes and businesses now have access to faster broadband as Godshill - including the model village - becomes the latest area to access the service.

In total, 15,697 homes on the island can receive faster broadband under the council and government funded rural broadband project.

To mark the news that Godshill became the latest area to have faster broadband, a miniature replica broadband cabinet was put in place in the model village.

With pretty village churches, acres of farmland, and glorious vistas, the Suffolk countryside seems like the perfect place to have wedding venue business. But broadband speeds were holding one local business owner back.

Nicholas Willcocks relies heavily on the internet to run both his surveying business and Alpheton Hall Barns –a wedding venue consisting of idyllic converted barns.