Thanks to Project Gigabit, more than 60,000 homes and businesses in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire now have access to faster broadband.

Winterton in North Lincolnshire, Fosdyke in Lincolnshire and Sessay and Linton on Ouse in Yorkshire have all received upgrades.

Thanks to Project Gigabit funding, provider Quickline has run a series of STEM workshops in East Yorkshire for 80 Year 5 and year 6 pupils from Skirlaugh Primary School and more than 130 people from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have also gained hands-on experience through Quickline’s apprenticeship programme.

88 per cent of premises across the UK are now able to access gigabit-capable broadband. This is up from 6 per cent in early 2019.

Minister of State at the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport, Ian Murray said: "Good broadband is about giving families, workers and local businesses the tools they need to get on, wherever they live.

"This milestone is proof that Project Gigabit has put better digital opportunities into local communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire that have had to work around patchy connections for too long – whether that’s running a business from a rural village or taking a job that would once have felt out of reach."

Mark Bowden, Quickline CEO: "At Quickline, we’ve always believed where you live shouldn’t determine the opportunities available to you. Through Project Gigabit, we’re proud to be working alongside the UK Government to bring gigabit-capable broadband to rural communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. More than 60,000 homes and businesses can now access gigabit-capable broadband through our Project Gigabit rollout, while, in total, our full fibre network now reaches some 260,000 premises across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. With many more communities set to benefit as we continue delivering our Project Gigabit contracts, we’re creating a network that will serve rural Britain for generations to come.

"But our ambition has always gone beyond building a network. We want to leave every community stronger than we found it, whether that’s inspiring future careers through STEM education, tackling digital exclusion, connecting community hubs or supporting employability. Project Gigabit is about more than faster broadband – it’s about creating opportunities, reducing inequality and helping rural communities thrive for generations to come."