Many of the UK's broadband users are unhappy with the speed of their service, new research has revealed.

According to a study conducted by uSwitch.com, 48 per cent of broadband customers are dissatisfied with their broadband speed.

Of the 12,000 customers surveyed, 39 per cent are signed up to 8Mb packages. However, only three per cent said they receive this speed.

uSwitch noted that while the standard advertised 'up to' speed is 8Mb, the average speed received by households is just 4.2Mb.

Despite the fact that consumers spend £2.6 billion a year on broadband services, 15 per cent cannot "technically" access speeds of more than 2Mb, the website observed.

Jason Glynn, communications expert at uSwitch.com, commented: "The need for speed is only going to increase as more companies develop media rich websites and the popularity for online TV continues to skyrocket, ultimately affecting everyone's service."

He went on to say that broadband providers should follow the example set by Virgin Media and BT and start to upgrade their networks.