FASTER broadband is now available to an additional 14,000 homes and businesses in Suffolk, according to telecommunications provider BT.

Southwold and Lavenham are among the latest communities to benefit from upgrades as part of the roll-out of BT’s next generation broadband service delivered over copper lines.

The service is now also available to households in and around Clare, Stanton, Lakenheath and Halesworth.

According to BT, the service will provide residents with download speeds of up to 20 megabits per second (Mbps) – more than double the fastest speed previously available from BT.

The news has been welcomed by Suffolk County Council’s leader, Mark Bee. He said:“This is exciting news from BT and shows that Suffolk’s future broadband network is beginning to take shape.

“This development means that more businesses and households in Suffolk will be able to access faster broadband – but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. In the next three years, the Better Broadband for Suffolk programme is going to make broadband something that anyone in Suffolk can access.

“High-speed communications are crucial in the fast-moving world we live in and I’m looking forward to the benefits this will bring.”

BT’s regional director for the East of England, Dave Hughes, added: “BT is determined to bring faster speeds to as many homes and businesses as possible, and we are keen to work with the public sector to find solutions for even the most challenging locations.”

BT’s investment in the copper network is in addition to its �2.5billion roll-out of fibre-based broadband, which is expected to bring even faster speeds to two-thirds of UK premises by the end of 2014.