Select a region
If you’ve been alive long enough you know the frustration of the internet working slowly.
The buffering circle turns round and round and still, no video loads.
Well, you are not alone as a new survey by u.Switch reveals that fast internet speed is essentially a postcode lottery and that some people have had to wait for hours and even days for their internet to load properly.
According to the survey, the fastest average connection can be found in Sandy Lane in Cannock, Staffodshire and the slowest
in Williamson Road in Romney Marsh, near Folkestone, Kent.
The report by the comparison site also reveals London’s slowest internet speed street as Cowley Road in Brixton and its fastest as Bulwer Gardens, Barnet.
Siobhan Davies, 32 who lives on Cowley Road told the Evening Standard: “Broadband around here is an absolute nightmare. I can’t stream anything on my computer or iPad. I tried to load my husband’s Facebook profile last week and it took three days to load. It’s ridiculous.”
Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband expert at uSwitch.com, said increasing public awareness of what was on offer could help tackle broadband speed deficits, while also calling for the “urgent” roll-out of superfast services to every corner of the UK.
“On the UK’s slowest street broadband speeds are so sluggish you could fly to the Bahamas and back again in the time it takes to download a film,” he said. “Wireless connections can be affected by the thickness of walls, for example, but your broadband provider can usually offer a solution if that’s the case.”
Norfolk racks up four of the slowest streets – the worst performing area, nationally.
The data, sourced from a million speed tests done by broadband users also showed wide variations even within the same areas.
While Staffordshire boasts three of the top 30 fastest streets in the country, it also boasts two of the slowest in Stoke-onTrent, and Burton-upon-Trent.
A Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spokesman said: “The Government’s roll-out of superfast broadband is one of the fastest in the world, and we’re on track to reach 95% of the UK by 2017.
“Eighty per cent of the UK can already access superfast speeds, and every day our roll-out reaches another 5,000 homes and businesses.”
The report, based on data from the major internet service providers, said the average speed across the country was 22.8 Mbps in November, up from 18.7 Mbps last May.
