Slow broadband speeds are an issue that many of us have to contend with, and now a new report has revealed exactly which streets across the UK struggle the most.
Wistaston Road in Crewe has been revealed by Uswitch as the UK’s slowest street for broadband, with average download speeds of just 0.24Mbps.
In contrast, residents on Haul Fryn in Swansea enjoy the fastest broadband, with average speeds reaching an impressive 882Mbps – 3,567 times faster than Wistaston Road!
Ernest Doku, a broadband expert at Uswitch.com, said: ‘Britain’s broadband keeps getting quicker every year, but parts of the country continue to be left behind.
‘Residents of this year’s fastest street, Haul Fryn, could download a film in 47 seconds – where it would take those living in Wistaston Road more than 48 hours to do the same thing.’
Wistaston Road in Crewe has been revealed by Uswitch as the UK’s slowest street for broadband, with average download speeds of just 0.24Mbps. In contrast, residents on Haul Fryn in Swansea enjoy the fastest broadband, with average speeds reaching an impressive 882Mbps – 3,567 times faster than Wistaston Road
Rank | Street name | Average download speed (Mbps) |
---|---|---|
1 | Wistaston Road, Crewe | 0.25 |
2 | Grant Road, Banchory | 0.28 |
3 | Dutchells Copse, Horsham | 0.29 |
4 | Cornwall Avenue, Tyldesley, Manchester | 0.31 |
5 | Crossways South, Doncaster | 0.33 |
6 | Llys Tripp, Gwaelod-y-Garth, Cardiff | 0.34 |
7 | Seymour Avenue, Morden | 0.36 |
8 | South Park Crescent, Lewisham | 0.38 |
9 | Brant Road, Waddington, Lincoln | 0.39 |
10 | Berriedale | 0.40 |
In the study, Uswitch analysed the results of 276,083 consumer broadband speed tests to understand which streets have the fastest and slowest download speeds.
Haul Fryn came out as the victor, where download speeds reach 882Mbps on average – 243Mbps quicker than last year’s fastest street, Dale Lane in Cheshire.
This was followed by Grange Road in Ilford (877.48Mbps), Dalesgate Close in Derby (855.55Mbps) and West Gate in Fleetwood (841.85Mbps).
At the other end of the spectrum, Wistaston Road in Crewe had the slowest average speeds of just 0.25Mbps.
This was closely followed by Grant Road in Banchory (0.28Mbps), Dutchells Copse in Horsham (0.29Mbps) and Cornwall Avenue in Manchester (0.31Mbps).
To see how your street’s average speeds compare, you can use Uswitch’s broadband speed test tool here.
Thankfully, overall the number of broadband users experiencing faster broadband speeds is growing, according to Uswitch.
Its analysis also found that 43 per cent of Brits now get superfast speeds of more than 30Mbps – almost double than those six years ago.
However, while superfast broadband is now available to 98 per cent of the UK, and ultrafast to 62 per cent, a recent Uswitch survey found that just 40 per cent of Brits are aware they can access it in their local area.
Thankfully, overall the number of broadband users experiencing faster broadband speeds is growing, according to Uswitch (stock image)
Rank | Street name | Average download speed (Mbps) |
---|---|---|
1 | Haul Fryn, Birchgrove, Swansea | 882.03 |
2 | Grange Road, Ilford | 877.48 |
3 | Dalesgate Close, Littleover, Derby | 855.55 |
4 | West Gate, Fleetwood | 841.85 |
5 | Douglas Bader Drive, Lutterworth | 758.87 |
6 | Billingbauk Drive, Leeds | 749.41 |
7 | Old Ballynahinch Road, Lisburn | 707.54 |
8 | Hall Road East, Liverpool | 707.30 |
9 | Valley Road, Newbury | 699.92 |
10 | Dale Lane, Appleton, Warrington | 699.76 |
In fact, of the ten slowest streets, nine could actually have access to quicker service, according to Uswitch.
‘At a time when so many of us rely on our broadband for work, streaming films and TV, and gaming, it’s hard to imagine how frustrating such a slow connection must be,’ Mr Doku added.
‘It’s great to witness the increased uptake of ultrafast broadband, but we don’t want to see large swathes of the country left behind on shoddy connections that aren’t cutting it for modern life.
‘Initiatives like the Universal Service Obligation and Project Gigabit are helping improve connections at both ends of the spectrum, but there is a lot more to be done so consumers don’t get left behind.
‘Of the ten slowest streets, nine could have access to faster broadband, so we urge residents there — and anyone else unhappy with their broadband speeds — to do a quick search online to see what speeds they could be getting with another provider.’
If your broadband speeds are frustratingly low, Uswitch advises complaining to your provider directly.
‘If you have a minimum speed guarantee, your provider has 30 days to resolve the problem or else you can switch to another one without paying any early termination fees,’ it advised.
‘If you aren’t covered by Ofcom’s Voluntary Code of Practice on Broadband Speed — which protects all contracts started on or after 1 March 2019 or if your provider hasn’t opted in — then you should still complain to your provider.
‘After that, if they haven’t resolved the issue to your satisfaction, you can escalate the complaint with the ombudsman.’