BRIDGWATER and West Somerset MP has slammed the government’s decision to scrap the roll-out of high-speed broadband to rural areas.

Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP for the area since 2001, has criticised the u-turn by the Government, saying it will leave many of his constituents stuck in the “communications steam age”.

Tory MP Mr Liddell-Grainger, said he was appalled by the decision and slammed his own party, and has challenged ministers including Communications Minister Ed Vaizey to travel to rural Somerset and explain the decision, saying they have “betrayed” his constituents.

As recently as November, Prime Minister David Cameron announced access to fast broadband was a basic human right and unveiled plans to put a broadband connection on a similar footing to other basic services such as water, electricity and the right to receive a letter anywhere in the UK for the same price.

However, there have been several delays in rolling out high-speed broadband across rural areas, with reports that the high costs of the project have hampered the project.

Mr Liddell-Grainger said: “The minute the true costs became apparent suddenly the basic human right became too expensive to deliver.

“As to claiming that the plans are being shelved because some people in the countryside don’t want a connection that is the lamest, flimsiest and least credible excuse for betrayal I have ever heard from a Government department.

“Clearly, however, such a statement wouldn’t have been plucked out of the air: it must have some basis in fact.

“So I should be very much obliged if any minister would travel down to Exmoor and take me to see the people who don’t want to be connected – because so far I haven’t met any.

“So important is this that I shall be happy to pay the ministerial train fare out of my own pocket.”

Ministers are insisting that high-speed broadband may still be available on request – but subscribers may well have to pay for the service to be laid on.

Mr Liddell-Grainger added: “That is nonsense. Only a large company has the means and resources to install the infrastructure: expecting an individual, or a group of individuals, to finance a major engineering project is simply asking too much.

“What annoys me most is that the Government has gone into overdrive to create an online society: everything from income tax to benefits to Single Farm Payments is now supposed to be handled online. But dozens and dozens of my constituents are now going to be denied this convenience and instead permanently stuck in the communications steam age.

“What essentially has happened is that the telecommunications industry has now run up against reality in the shape of the rural premium – the extra cost that has always applied to delivering goods and services to the countryside.

“Essentially it means there’s no profit for them in supplying a service to rural areas: in fact it will almost certainly lose them money.

“But given the huge amounts of easy takings the industry rakes in from urban areas there is plenty of spare money sloshing around to underwrite the rural service and see to it that people in the countryside are offered as good a deal and the same benefits as those in towns and cities.”