MP John Whittingdale has welcomed news that telecoms provider Openreach has announced plans to bring 'ultrafast' full fibre broadband to12,667 more premises in his constituency.

The area - which includes Maldon, Burnham-on-Crouch, the Dengie Peninsula and South Woodham Ferrers - comes as a result of investment by the BT Group focused on the toughest to reach locations. The deadline for installation of all this extra coverage is December 2026.

This new figure is in addition to existing coverage or planned build from other Openreach programmes, Community Fibre Partnerships or funded programmes.

Mr Whittingdale said: "I am delighted that another 12,667 premises in the Maldon constituency are to get full fibre broadband as a result of this new Openreach programme."

The latest Ofcom data shows that average download speeds across Maldon are around 46 Mbps, with 93 per cent of premises able to access superfast speeds (over 30 Mbps). This compares with a UK average download speed of 73 Mbps and superfast availability of 95 per cent.

Across Maldon district, 11 per cent of premises have speeds under 10 Mbps. Gigabit availability ranges from 0 per cent in South Woodham Ferrers, to around 5 per cent in Maldon, to 18 per cent in Burnham, to 57.8 per cent in Southminster and to 63 percent in Mayland, Althorne and Cold Norton.

Mr Whittingale added: "The Government has set a target of a minimum of 85 per cent gigabit-capable coverage by 2025 with an ambition to get as close to 100 per cent as possible. To get there, the Government is investing £5 billion to maximise coverage in the hardest to reach areas."

The MP, who is also Minister at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), spoke of the importance of fast internet access in the modern world.

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"Fast broadband is now a necessity as much as water, gas or electricity.

"Gigabit connectivity is the future as we come to rely on the internet more and more for remote working, learning, communication, shopping and entertainment.

"This ambitious programme will help many more homes in the Maldon constituency to access gigabit speeds. I will continue to work with Government, Essex County Council and Telecoms suppliers to ensure that we continue the roll out locally as fast as possible."