INTERNET speeds in Selby are among the worst in the country but could help the area become an Enterprise Zone, an MP has claimed.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, said the Government had a commitment to ensure homes and businesses across the country had access to broadband connections by 2015, and creating an Enterprise Zone in Selby could kill two birds with one stone.

Being an Enterprise Zone would enable the district to attract investment and jobs through discounted business rates and a speeded up planning process.

Mr Adams said: “I know from my own experience living in a village in Selby how bad the speeds are and it’s very frustrating.

“We have some of the largest areas of ‘not spots’ in the country and one of the facts about Enterprise Zones is that businesses will be able to access superfast broadband, so this could be something in our favour.”

A study was ordered by MPs to look into the speeds across the UK. It found 53 per cent of people in Selby were forced to put up with slow connections, despite the Government committing to creating the “best superfast broadband network” in Europe.

Mr Adams, who set up his own telecommunications company when he left school, said he had spoken to representatives from several telecom companies who were eager to assist the Government in bringing superfast broadband to rural areas.

He said: “It’s essential for business growth and I have been pushing if for some time. Perversely, the fact that we have an area that doesn’t have it makes Selby a good area to make an Enterprise Zone.”

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, said: “For too many of our rural communities, being able to get on the internet reliably and at a decent speed is a pipe dream. Ironically, it is these rural areas that have the most need for the internet.

“Rural Britain wants action, not words. We need solutions that are value for money and sustainable. It is vital we do not just get it right for today’s needs and tomorrow’s technology, but innovations for years to come.”

As reported in The Press, Selby has been shortlisted, along with Leeds' Aire Valley, Bradford city centre, and the Wakefield M62 corridor, as a potential site for an Enterprise Zone, which would bring new businesses to the region by offering lower business rates. A decision is due next month.