A COUNCIL leader has called on residents and businesses to capitalise on millions of pounds of investment in superfast broadband to tap into improved services.

More than £55m is being ploughed into providing superfast coverage across North Yorkshire in a scheme aiming to ensure up to 95 per cent of homes and businesses will be able to get it in the next three years.

So far only around 30 per cent of people have signed up for the service, which is provided through hundreds of cabinets installed by BT Openreach.

North Yorkshire County Council's leader Councillor Carl Les said while the sign-up rate was impressive, as most other areas of the country had seen rates of around 20 per cent, the authority wanted residents and businesses to make the most of the opportunity.

He said: “It has been compared to the coming of the canals, the railways and planes, it is now the fourth utility and we realised how crucial it was that North Yorkshire, the biggest county in England covering 3,000 square miles and with a population of over 600,000 had a good service.

"We know people have been put off buying houses in some villages because of the lack of broadband."

One of the outstanding concerns facing the council is over the five per cent of houses and businesses in the more remote areas of the county that will still not be reached until the end of the decade with around two per cent potentially having to rely on specialist wireless or satellite systems.

He said they want to move towards 100 per cent coverage, but for the more remote areas that could mean subsidies of between £1,000 and £1,700 for each household or business.

Ofcom-accredited Cable.co.uk offers impartial advice on what superfast broadband deals are available in users' areas, reviews of providers, a broadband speed test.