BROADBAND speeds in Ulverston are slower than at Mount Everest base camp, a new survey has claimed.

The town has been identified as one of the five worst spots in the UK for broadband in speed tests conducted by Cable.co.uk. (Cable.co.uk)

The broadband comparison website said the five areas suffer "worse broadband than Mount Everest base camp", where visitors can access minimum speeds of 2Mbps via a satellite connection, compared with Ulverston’s average speed of 1.45Mbps.

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The other areas suffering the slowest speeds are Miserden in Gloucestershire, Ashwell in Hertfordshire, Gilsland in Cumbria and the village of Brent Knoll in Somerset.

Dan Howdle, telecoms spokesman at Cable.co.uk, said: "Digital inequality is a huge problem in the UK, both for those who suffer at the bottom end and for the UK economy as a whole.

"While the number of UK households on the right side of the 'digital divide' is increasing thanks to the continuing rollout of superfast broadband, those left stranded are finding themselves further and further behind - to the detriment of both themselves and their local economies.

"And it's not all about whether or not you can stream the latest Bond movie. Digital black holes like Ulverston, Miserden and others, unless addressed, will suffer steady economic decline as homes become less desirable, and businesses can no longer sustain themselves without an online presence.

"These often beautiful, scenic locations will become ghost towns."

A spokesman for BT, whose Openreach network provides the final mile of connection into consumers' homes, rubbished the claims, saying: "This report doesn't give an entirely accurate picture, as fibre broadband is widely available to two of the slowest areas identified.

"Fibre is available to 93 per cent of premises connected to Ulverston - a far cry from the 'digital black holes' described.

"This report is either based on out-of-date information or on the speeds people choose to buy rather than the maximum speeds available to them.

"For an accurate view, we'd encourage people to look at respected, independent reports by the likes of Ofcom, the EU, the International Telecommunication Union and ThinkBroadband."