Broadband connection speeds in rural regions of the UK are unacceptable, according to one organisation.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has suggested that a lack of access to high-speed internet in remote locations is damaging the UK's economy.

Its claim comes on the back of research commissioned by the BBC published yesterday (May 27th), which showed that about three million households cannot access 2Mb broadband.

President of the CLA, Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, said: "Millions of people in rural areas of the UK have poor broadband speeds, which is damaging the rural economy.

"This cannot be ignored, especially at this difficult economic time."

Mr Aubrey-Fletcher added that the problem was a "serious issue" for businesses and the organisation had heard from people across the UK who suffered from slow or non-existent broadband connections.

Earlier this month, the European Parliament announced that £265 million would be handed to the UK for investment in rural broadband infrastructures.