More people in Gloucestershire will be able to get faster broadband as Openreach undertakes a major upgrade to infrastructure.

Around 280,000 more South West homes and businesses are set to benefit from a broadband boost with an investment of £112 million.

The majority of premises in each area covered should gain access to the latest ultrafast Full Fibre broadband. Work will take place between now and 2026.

The news comes hot on the heels of a similar announcement last month, when 440,000 premises - in 181 mainly rural and harder to serve areas across the South West - were also included in the build plan.

Both announcements build on Openreach's existing work in the region, where more than 480,000 homes and businesses can already order ultrafast Full Fibre broadband.

Following a competitive tender process, a number of partners including Telent and Kier, were chosen by Openreach to support the upgrades and will play a crucial role in building the new network to thousands of premises in these locations

Connie Dixon, Openreach's Regional Director for the South West, said: "Nobody in the UK is building Full Fibre faster, further or at a higher quality than Openreach.

"We're reaching more communities than ever and our team of highly skilled engineers, alongside our build partners, are working hard to deliver some of the fastest and most reliable broadband available anywhere in the world.

The work is seen as fundamental to the UK Government achieving its target of delivering 'gigabit capable' broadband to 85 per cent of UK by 2025 and it follows an extended investment commitment by parent company, BT Group.