Poor broadband is helping to kill off rural society, a report has said, as young people leave for cities and don't return. The National Housing Federation has warned that family life is being damaged as children increasingly leave home for university or to work and fail to come back because of poor facilities in the countryside.

In a report it said: "We know that many people choose to leave rural areas and commute to nearby towns and cities to work, with some choosing to move out altogether for that reason.

"Young members of the rural population move to urban areas for university, and do not return.

"Rural connectivity to broadband and public transport limits the number of people willing to start and run businesses from rural areas."

It said that rural populations are shrinking as a result, and the average age of rural households is also increasing.

The report adds: "By 2039, the number of working age households in England is projected to fall by 1 per cent in rural areas while increasing in urban areas by nearly 11 per cent."