How the Humber divides Yorkshire's broadband haves and have-nots

Broadband speed remains a source of consternation.

On the north bank of the Humber, parts of Hull are among the worst-served areas in Britain for superfast broadband, with only around one in four homes able to connect.

But across the water, Grimsby is one of the best served - with fast speeds available to 98 per cent of homes.

The figures are revealed in a breakdown of broadband availability in each of the region’s parliamentary constituencies.

The figures, compiled by Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh, show Yorkshire has the lowest download speed of any English region - an average of 34.6 megabits per second (Mbps) compared to a UK average of 37.8 and a high of 40.6 in the South East.

In the Yorkshire and Humber region, East Hull has the lowest penetration of superfast broadband, which is defined as 30Mbps or above, followed by West and North Hull.

Neighbouring Beverley also fares poorly, with Haltemprice, Penistone, the Don and Rother Valleys and Dewsbury all falling below 75 per cent penetration.

At the other end of the table, Leeds, Sheffield, Huddersfield, Bradford, Scunthorpe and Halifax are among the areas with above-average availability.

Download the data in full (MS Excel format, 20kb)

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The release of the figures coincides with research that suggests eight out of ten consumers are “duped” by misleading broadband speeds.

The comparison site Cable.co.uk said 80 per cent of 2,000 customers it interviewed thought the way speeds were advertised was misleading, with 58 per cent finding them “very misleading”.

The Advertising Standards Authority has called for a change to the way broadband speeds are advertised, and its sister organisation, the Committee of Advertising Practice, is due to publish a report later this year.

Dan Howdle, of Cable.co.uk, said: “Broadband remains the only service you can buy without knowing what it is you’re actually going to get. The current system is a lucky dip where everyone pays the same no matter what mystery item they ultimately pull out.”