RESIDENTS of a Melksham housing development have welcomed plans to improve the broadband service to their homes.

When Persimmon Homes' Wessex division built 64 houses in George Ward Gardens just off the Bath Road copper broadband cabling was used instead the high-speed fibre optic.

Since then, residents have complained about broadband speeds as low as six megabytes and unreliable systems dropping out of connection.

But soon they will be able to use high speed fibre optic systems being installed by cabling company BT Openreach.

A spokesman from Persimmon Homes Wessex, said: “We have liaised with Openreach, who have confirmed they will be upgrading the service they provide homeowners at George Ward Gardens.”

The move has been welcomed by residents, who are hoping to access faster speeds and more consistent internet connections in the new year.

Kevin Smith, 36, of Teachers Way, said: "We have been told it will be available by January.

"They have installed the cabling to the cabinets on the street but have not yet connected them up to homes.

"But it will be vastly welcomed, particularly for those people who work from home."

Hayden Glinn, 27, who lives in the same road, said he used to enjoy speeds of up to 150MB when he lived on the Castle Mead estate in Trowbridge.

"Here, speeds can be around 12MB. It is really slow and it can be a problem if you are streaming and downloading things from the internet."

Tim Burrows, 33, who works from home as a project manager, said: "I would be delighted to have a faster speed."

The scheme run by Persimmon Homes Wessex and BT Openreach will mean people in George Ward Gardens will get a broadband upgrade in time for the new year.

The development was not due to have a broadband upgrade until July 2020, which would have left residents struggling with slow internet speeds in the meantime. There were also concerns about how many houses would benefit from the upgrade.

The upgrade is part of plans to make sure the whole of the Chippenham area is covered by fast broadband in the next five years.