Residents in rural Lancashire, who laid their own cables to improve internet access, have started to enjoy their new broadband network.

Fed up with slow dial-up connections, volunteers in eight villages in the Trough of Bowland began digging a 40-mile (64 km) trench to try and bring broadband to areas where the commercial operators have little incentive in developing.

The trench now connects to fibre optic cables in Manchester and the first of 2,000 households in the area have been connected to the superfast broadband service.

Bruce Alexander from Quernmore said: "You know it's going to work, you know you're not hanging around. It's just a pleasure to use."