BROADBAND connection speeds in Ipswich are among the slowest in the UK, shock new figures have revealed.

While average UK broadband speeds have increased by 16% in the past 12 months, Ipswich is still suffering from super-slow connection speed and is the fourth slowest town according to a top 50 list by uSwitch.com.

Between January and June this year, the average UK broadband speed was 7.84Mbps compared to 6.74Mbps for the same period in 2011.

Speeds recorded in Ipswich between January and June were 6.77Mbps.

Julia Stent, telecoms expert uSwitch.com, said: “Great strides are being made across the country to bring broadband infrastructure up to speed, but too many, especially in rural areas, are still stuck in the slow lane.”

She added: “The frustration for many customers is that they are missing out on a faster service because they’re in the dark about their speed and what’s available to them.

“Checking your speed, and the speeds in your area, could help you find a better deal and move into the fast lane.”

Suffolk County Council leader Mark Bee, who is also chairman of the Better Broadband for Suffolk campaign, said the figures reinforced the need for super-fast broadband in Suffolk.

“The report does underline the fact that we need to see an improvement to the connection speed but some parts of the county would dream to have that, which shows the divide there is,” he added.

“Clearly we have got to raise the general standard and our ultimate aim is to have everyone on super-fast broadband which would mean an average of 25Mbps.”

The county council’s Better Broadband campaign, backed by the East Anglian Daily Times, resulted in more than 12,000 signatures being collected in support of faster speeds.

Last month communications giants BT and Fujitsu were formally invited to bid for a �40million contract to bring faster speeds to the county.