A GROUP of frustrated Welsh villagers have banded together in a modern day dig for victory - to install their own superfast broadband cable.

Pensioners, teachers, and even the landlord of Michaelston y Fedw's only pub clubbed together to dig miles of trenches for state-of-the-art fibre optic cable after finding themselves unable to even connect to online banking.

5 The huge operation gave the 300 people of Michaelston - located between Cardiff and Newport in Wales - connection speeds a thousand times faster than before Credit: Wales News Service

The huge operation gave the 300 people of Michaelston - located between Cardiff and Newport in Wales - connection speeds a thousand times faster than before.

Ben Longman, landlord of the Cefn Mably Arms, said: "We were in the pub and we were all moaning about how bad the wifi was.

“I had just paid for high speed broadband and realised it would not work.

“David Schofield lives in the village and works from home. He couldn’t get a good signal and so he looked into how you can install your own."

The new 1,000mps connection speed is amongst the fastest in the country.

5 The new 1,000mps connection speed is amongst the fastest in the country Credit: Wales News Service

5 It used to take villagers over a day to download a film Credit: Wales News Service

Retired marine worker Jim Dunk, 71, put in hundreds of hours of voluntary work to install the fibre - along with neighbours he hadn't known before the broadband project.

He said: "Bearing in mind I have had the house here for 41 years I never got to know many people.

"Getting involved with this is magnificent. The number of people from different walks of life I have met has been incredible.”

Jim installed the broadband hub with neighbour Brinley Richards, 79, who he met for the first time on the project.

5 Some villagers dug for 12 hours a day Credit: Wales News Service

5 Many workers met neighbours they had never even talked to before while working on the project Credit: Wales News Service

Brinley said: "It is a remarkable success story. I am so proud of the community.

"The village deserves recognition. Some of the people will work more than 12 hours a day.

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"I have no doubt that other parts of Wales will asking us for advice.”

"It is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best things ever.

“I have got to know more people in the last four months than I did in the previous 25 years.”

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