THE roll-out of superfast broadband in Ryedale has entered its next phase.

Superfast North Yorkshire has announced almost 12,000 properties are likely to be connected under phase three.

The £20.5m contract, awarded to BT in February, will give high-quality broadband to 95 per cent of all domestic and business premises in the county.

The latest phase includes hundreds of properties scattered across Ryedale’s towns, villages and hamlets.

It is funded by North Yorkshire County Council with substantial contributions from central government and the European Union.

Norton is expected to receive the most superfast connections in Ryedale – with 162 properties proposed so far, including the new Westfield estate in Scarborough Road.

Norton County Councillor Keane Duncan welcomed the news. “My division contains a full spectrum of different broadband woes," he said.

"I am, therefore, very pleased that the frustrating battle with slow speeds could soon be over for many.

“In Norton, Westfield is an anomaly. It is a new estate surrounded by homes and business premises accessing superfast broadband, yet homes on the estate are unable to receive anything like decent speeds.

“Elsewhere, in the villages many have been forced to contend with the very slowest speeds for years.

“A music teacher in Scagglethorpe even reported to me an 84-day wait to download audio files.

“The good news is that many of these problem properties are now expected to receive fibre to the premises and lightening fast speeds in excess of 300mbps.”

Father-of-two Shawn Imeson, from Westfield, Norton, said: “We have moved from York and it is noticeably different. It’s almost like going back to dial-up here.

“It is to the point where if you are on Netflix and get your phone out, Netflix starts buffering.

“We’re delighted we’re getting superfast. It is all coming together piece by piece.”

Phase three is scheduled to be finished by 2021."

An interactive map, showing the initial connections and an approximate installation date is available at superfastnorthyorkshire.com