FASTER broadband is finally available to residents in Affetside after years of campaigning.

Campaigners across Affetside have been working tirelessly to obtain faster speeds by researching different options, including installing satellites and broadband cabinets across the village.

Dr Falmai Binns, chairman of Bury Rural Inequalities Forum (BRIF), called on Bury Council to fund extra broadband cabinets, at a cost of £60,000, which she believed would deliver higher speeds to homes in Affetside and a small area of Hawkshaw and Tottington.

However, Lancashire based Wave Internet has now installed radio signal masts which have finally solved the issue thanks to the persistence of one resident, Jamie Luck.

BRIF has been leading the fight to get rural communities in the area connected to high speed broadband for several years however Jamie made it his mission to find a solution for homeowners and business owners since moving to the village in October 2014.

He discovered the maximum speed that Affetside could achieve was 1.45mbps, which fell under the Government's minimum target of 2mbps.

Jamie said: “On March 16 Wave Internet installed the first two Affetside residents to their network. “Both residents are now enjoying speeds of over 20Mbps.

“This new access to affordable and reliable high speed broadband will not only transform the lives of the residents of these rural communities, but it will also breathe new life into local businesses and the local economy, allowing them to properly compete in the digital age.”

Dr Binns, added: “We are delighted that Wave Internet has succeeded in their efforts to bring fast broadband to part of Affetside using new radio technology, as to date no other provider has actioned sustainable supply.

“Hopefully they will now research total coverage – and even empower parts of Hawkshaw Lane and Turton Road still with inadequate service.

“But residents need to be cautious over scope and limitations in their choices and appreciate that the marvellous fibre broadband supply enjoyed by most of the UK.

“It is a superior option to both radio and the satellite alternatives – the latter currently being marketed as part of a Government initiative to plug the last gap in the network to meet the Universal Service Obligation, which is now mandatory.

“Once fibre is in place customers can shop around for the cheapest provider, whereas other systems do not have this opportunity, and may be more costly in the long term.”