THE Allen Valleys could soon become one of the first areas in the UK to benefit from hyper-fast broadband speeds.

Many rural homes and businesses in the East and West Allen have endured slow and unreliable internet access for years.

Now a community group is hoping to secure funding for residents and business owners to hook up to hyper-fast broadband.

The new technology, which reaches speeds of up to one gigabyte per second, is currently available to just two per cent of households in Britain.

Group member Mike Robinson said more than 200 residents had already expressed an interest in the new service.

But he is calling on more householders from across the Allen Valleys to officially sign up to the scheme as soon as possible.

He explained: “Internet access is poor and even none-existent in some rural outposts in the Allen Valleys.

“The key to the success of this scheme is getting people to register their address and officially express their interest in benefiting from hyper-fast broadband.

“I would appeal to people across a wide geographic area across the Allen Valleys, from Allenheads and Carrshield all the way north to Langley.”

Mr Robinson said the group had held a positive meeting with iNorthumberland, the broadband scheme led by Northumberland County Council and telecoms giant BT.

He added: “I’m confident that iNorthumberland will provide the necessary funding for this hyper-fast technology to be installed, provided that enough people officially register an interest.

“To have this here in the Allen Valleys would be wonderful.”

To sign up and for more information visit www.b4allenvalleys.1me.net.

The ongoing iNorthumberland broadband schemehas already installed fibre cables in many Tynedale communities over the past two years.

It hopes to bring super-fast broadband to 95 per cent of homes and businesses in Northumberland by the end of this year.