What a difference a mile makes for broadband download speeds

The south Leeds LS10 postcode’s average broadband speed stands at under 7Mbps, which is 70 per cent slower than average speeds in the nearby Burley and Kirkstall areas.

The research, by independent price comparison website uSwitch.com between December and February, shows Leeds has the 10th biggest internet speed discrepancy in the UK.

Elsewhere in the region, Hull has the 13th largest discrepancy in speeds at 66 per cent, while Sheffield placed 18th and Bradford 26th.

Marie-Louise Abretti, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said: “Despite the Government’s intense focus on super-fast speeds, this data reveals massive inconsistencies, with speeds fluctuating dramatically between areas located just a few miles apart.

“Although a recent Ofcom report revealed that the UK’s average broadband speed has increased by a third in the last year, our data suggests that this isn’t the whole picture.”

The research, gathered during over 900,000 broadband speed tests, revealed locations which benefit from the fastest speeds were not necessarily closest to city or town centres.

Birmingham had the biggest discrepancies in broadband speeds, with connection speeds in some areas of the city being 89 per cent slower than others.

Despite some UK residents being stuck in the slow lane, super-fast broadband is available in many areas researched.

Although 65 per cent of UK households can now benefit from the service, however, many don’t know it is available in their area.

BT will install faster fibre optic broadband across 66 per cent of the UK by late 2014, while Government funding will extend this across 90 per cent of the country.