BROADBAND speeds in parts of Ceredigion remain “a disgrace”, a Mid and West Wales MS has said.

Jane Dodds slammed the “disgraceful” internet speeds in Ceredigion after new House of Commons research shows that the county has the highest proportion of households with ‘very slow’ internet speeds in the entirety of the UK.

According to data from Ofcom and the House of Commons Library, Ceredigion has the highest percentage of households on ‘very slow’ internet connections (those under 10 Mb/s) in the UK at 18.9 per cent.

The report also shows that Ceredigion has well below-average download speeds, ranking 562/650 for average speeds at 54.1 Mb/s compared to a UK average of 86.5 Mb/s.

“It is absolutely disgraceful that Ceredigion is yet again being left behind the rest of the country when it comes to broadband access,” Ms Dodds said.

“Good internet access and fast broadband speeds are more vital than ever with the rise of home working and increasing numbers of small start-ups.

“If we are to attract businesses and new investment to Ceredigion we need better digital connectivity.

“The Conservative Government in Westminster urgently needs to prioritise increasing internet speeds in rural Wales, but sadly they seem to be going in the opposite direction.

“We would also like to see the Labour-Plaid Cymru administration in the Senedd to use the limited powers over broadband they have to use the Superfast Cymru programme to close the rural-urban gap in Wales or else we will only see the digital divide between South Wales and rest of Wales continue to grow.”