AROUND 270 properties in Hatton and Stretton now have the chance to benefit from quicker broadband.

Residents and businesses are able to upgrade from the new fibre broadband cabinet served from the Norcott Brook telephone exchange.

Anybody interested in using their devices to work or play 'smarter, faster and better' can check the Connecting Cheshire website to see if their property can be upgraded before contacting an internet service provider.

"It doesn't happen automatically and you could make a saving compared with your current broadband contract," said a Connecting Cheshire spokesman.

A section of premises along Hatton Lane will be able to receive 'superfast' broadband, above 24 megabits per second (mbps), while those in the village further from the cabinet will be able to get around five mbps.

Properties in close proximity to The Park Royal Hotel are likely to get the chance to experience 80 mbps.

Cllr Paul Kennedy (CON – Hatton, Stretton and Walton), who has been lobbying for improvements, has welcomed the new broadband cabinet.

However, he has offered hope to anyone who remains frustrated by the latest developments.

"For those premises unable to benefit from this upgrade, they may be included in our future phases, and within our contract with BT there are arrangements to specifically address premises receiving less than two mbps download speeds," he said.

"These are being developed and are likely to be based on a connection voucher scheme to subsidise the cost of connection and may include other technology options such as satellite or wireless connectivity where the BT Openreach network is not currently viable to provide faster speeds."

The scheme is expected to be fully up and running before the end of the year.

Connecting Cheshire, a partnership between BT and the Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington councils, is working to reach an additional 90,000 homes and businesses with fibre broadband by spring 2017.

It has created a video to explain the process, as well as the benefits of fibre broadband to anybody unsure.

For further information visit connectingcheshire.org.uk.