VILLAGERS are celebrating a major boost after a massive effort saw their area secure superfast broadband.

Thorpe-le-Soken was listed as a priority area in Tendring for the superfast Infinity broadband roll-out after villagers spoke up.

A survey was carried out by Tendring Council to discover the areas most in need of the major internet upgrade.

Thorpe councillor Dan Land spearheaded an drive to get as many people as possible to respond – and the effort has paid off.

He said: “We really pushed hard for this and everybody responded superbly.

“We were listed as one of the first areas in the district to receive it because of that.

“It is going to mean a really dramatic increase in speeds for the residents here.

“It is important for the village and it is something we have wanted for a long time. It will be beneficial for anyone running a business here, as well as attracting new people to our area and boosting property values.”

The first customers have been connected, but some parts of the village may not be covered by the superfast broadband.

Residents should contact their internet suppliers to see if they can get Infinity internet.