RESIDENTS across Cirencester could soon have access to some of the fastest broadband speeds in Europe.

Openreach has outlined plans to make ultra-reliable and gigabit-capable full fibre broadband available to homes and businesses across town.

Under new plans, broadband infrastructure will be improved in the town as well as 33 cities, towns and villages across the South West.

It is hoped the project, which will be completed without taxpayer subsidy, will help Cirencester's economy as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic in the years ahead.

Connie Dixon, Openreach’s partnership director for the South West, said: “We’ve already upgraded tens of thousands of homes and business across the South West to Full Fibre.

"As well as keeping the existing network running throughout the Covid-19 crisis, our engineers have, safely and with social distancing in place, continued building the new infrastructure to make sure that as lockdown restrictions ease, our network is there to support families, businesses and the economic recovery.

“Many South West households and businesses can already switch to the new technology and hundreds of thousands more will be following in the months and years ahead.

"People can check online and ask their broadband providers to find out more about the many benefits.

"Full Fibre is more reliable and more resilient – meaning fewer faults and more predictable, consistent speeds. It’s also future-proof to easily meet the growing data demands of future technologies.”

Work is expected to get underway in the next 12 to 18 months, although some locations will see work continue into 2024.

It is part of a wider project to reach 3.2 million premises in the UK's 'final third' of more rural properties which are hardest to reach with top quality broadband.

Use a postcode checker to see what is available where you live at openreach.com/fibre-broadband