THE village of Hartley Wintney has received a broadband boost from Virgin Media.

The company announced last week that the area will benefit from Virgin’s superfast broadband, following the unveiling of investment plans.

Hartley Wintney and Phoenix Green will be one of 10 communities to benefit from an ultrafast broadband and entertainment boost this year as part of Virgin Media’s £3bn network expansion across the UK.

For residents of the two communities, Virgin Media’s Vivid 200 broadband offers the fastest widely available broadband, with download speeds of up to 200Mbps, which is almost three times the speed of its competitors.

For Hartley Wintney and Phoenix Green businesses, Virgin Media Business will offer even faster ultrafast connectivity, with speeds of up to 300Mbps, which will enable businesses to reach their potential by delivering better services and greater capacity, and is almost four times faster than other providers.

The news comes as a boost to local MP Ranil Jayawardena, who has long campaigned for faster broadband speeds across North East Hampshire, and their importance to the community.

Following hard work with providers to ensure this, he joined Virgin Media in Hartley Wintney at the unveiling of the investment plans.

Speaking afterwards he commented: “The provision of good quality broadband is an essential service. I have been working hard with providers to ensure that rural areas such as ours don’t fall behind.

“The introduction of ultrafast broadband to Hartley Wintney and Phoenix Green is fantastic news.

“Having a reliable connection is crucial for local people and for businesses in North East Hampshire, and I am delighted to hear that Virgin Media are investing in our area.”

Neil Bartholomew, executive director at Virgin Media said: “Congratulations to residents of Hartley Wintney and Phoenix Green on coming ninth place in our leader board.

“The support and interest from communities across the UK has exceeded our expectations and we’re delighted to be supercharging Hartley Wintney and Phoenix Green with ultrafast broadband and better entertainment.

“By investing and delivering better connectivity in Hampshire, it shows that ultrafast broadband isn’t just for the big cities.”