Leading broadband provider has hooked up thousands more homes to its high-speed internet infrastructure, it has been reported.

According to Hexus, 77,000 homes and businesses in the Hertfordshire towns of Hoddesdon, Waltham Cross, St Albans, Lea Valley and Watford are now enjoying faster broadband speeds.

And another 76,000 in Billericay, Braintree, Brentwood and Stanford-Le-Hope in Essex are also benefiting from the internet service provider's latest upgrade work.

BT says that download speeds of 40Mb are now available to users, with the prospect of 60Mb to look forward to in the future.

Upstream speeds will also be faster, the firm noted, allowing businesses and consumers to perform a wider range of online tasks in double-quick time.

BT is currently spending around £2.5 million upgrading local telephone exchanges around the UK to support next-generation broadband.

Last week, the firm revealed that some 15 million households are now subscribed to a broadband deal delivered over its network.