A NEW study has found that Carlisle lags behind the rest of the country when it comes to broadband speed.

According to data collected by Broadband Choices and Ofcom, the city has an average download speed of 34 megabytes per second (Mbps).

The study revealed that Carlisle is far below the UK's average download speed of 54.2 Mbps.

Hull in Yorkshire has been named as the best performing area in the country with 87 Mbps, while Truro in Cornwall was ranked the worst place with 23 Mbps.

Mark Pocock, home communications expert at Broadband Choices said: “Broadband speeds are vitally important.

"The new Prime Minister, for example, recognised the importance of faster broadband speeds in his acceptance speech, and has pledged to deliver full-fibre broadband to every home in the UK by 2025.

"To protect the productivity of the UK workforce, it’s vital that we continue to put pressure on councils and the Government to achieve this goal."