Fibre broadband to come to Staindrop and Cockfield

Staindrop and Cockfield, two small villages in rural County Durham, are to gain access to superfast fibre optic broadband later this spring.

The communities will be connected to the high-speed service as part of a combined effort from BT, Digital Durham and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to bring fibre broadband to some of the more rural areas of the UK.

Digital Durham is a £24 million project to connect homes and businesses throughout the areas of County Durham, the Tees Valley, Gateshead and Sunderland to superfast broadband to enhance their online experience.

BT has said the villages will be able to access the service by May, but has warned that engineering works could delay this.

In addition to this, the local county council is planning to appeal to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for further funding to bring fibre broadband to more areas throughout the dales.