CLEOBURY Mortimer and Clee Hill are set to benefit from a further rollout of broadband in Shropshire.

As part of the £24.6 million Connecting Shropshire high-speed broadband programme, work has already begun in the next 25 exchange areas, giving more people access to higher broadband speeds over the next 14 months.

The rollout has been welcomed by Conservative MP Philip Dunne, whose Ludlow constituency includes Cleobury.

He said: “I am pleased that the next stage of this programme has been announced so that more households and businesses will have access over coming months to fast, reliable broadband in rural South Shropshire.

Improving access to broadband in Shropshire is increasingly important. So many people need faster broadband to study, access public services and information, help develop their businesses, explore new online markets and suppliers and to create new investment and jobs for local people in Shropshire.

"I welcome this latest phase of Connecting Shropshire’s high-speed broadband rollout."

In the Ludlow constituency, the first exchanges go live this summer. High-speed broadband is expected to go live in later this year.

Connecting Shropshire is a partnership between Shropshire Council, BT and the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), that will enable more than 62,000 rural homes and businesses in Shropshire to access faster broadband.

The combined investment from Connecting Shropshire and the private sector’s commercial roll-out plans will mean 93 per cent of homes and businesses in the Shropshire Council area will have access to faster fibre broadband by the end of spring, 2016.