MORE households in Cumbria will be able to get faster internet access from the autumn after a major project to get more people online was given a £20 million boost.

The Project Access initiative, being backed by government money, will include the creation of a high-speed network for the county and a major promotional campaign.

The North West Regional Development Agency said the "UK first" would help to address "the digital divide that has previously disadvantaged the county."

It means broadband could be available to more than 95 per cent of businesses and members of the public from September.

British Telecom has said that many areas are due to go live later in the year with Crooklands and Crosthwaite from October, Sedbergh, Burton, Ambleside, Sedgwick, Langdale and Staveley from November, Arnside in December, Kirkby-in-Furness, Greenodd, and Newby Bridge in January, Hawkshead from April and Coniston and Broughton from May.

Steve Broomhead, the chief executive of the NWDA, said: "Access to fast, reliable and affordable internet connections is a major issue for rural businesses wanting to survive and prosper in an increasingly competitive marketplace. This significant project will not only make a huge impact on businesses and communities throughout Cumbria and north Lancashire, but will also help to create new jobs and make a marked contribution to the local economy."

The news has been welcomed by Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins, and the county's broadband project manager Jennifer Holliday.

Mr Collins said: "This is a big step forward in the effort to close the digital divide across South Lakeland. Communities without broadband are at an increasing disadvantage. I now will be pressing British Telecom and ministers at the Department of Trade and Industry to step up efforts for broadband to be made available to those parts of South Lakeland still without a service."

Ms Holliday, project manager for Cumbria ICT Broadband Initiative, said: "We have been working for two years to raise awareness - now we are on the verge of bringing people the connectivity they have told us they need."

"Broadband offers Cumbrian residents great opportunities and both urban and rural businesses a chance to compete on a level playing field, and soon that potential will be there to be grasped."