A YOUTUBER in one of the Somerset's oldest villages is uploading videos in seconds that previously took hours - thanks to a fibre broadband rollout.

Voneus, which provides ultrafast broadband to various hard-to-reach communities, has future-proofed the village of Mells with a fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) installation.

Residents’ upload and download speeds have been boosted from less than 15Mbps to upwards of 100Mbps.

Veterinary website editor Arlo Guthrie, who also films YouTube reviews on the latest tech and gadgets from his home, has benefitted from the faster speeds.

Before, Arlo was sometimes waiting three hours to upload a single video as his connection of 3Mbps struggled to process his high-quality footage.

He said: “The new upload speeds are breathtaking.

"Before the upgrade it would take hours for my high-definition videos to upload. Now the same length in a 4K resolution takes seconds.

“The improvement means I can start trialling and reviewing products which require high-speed internet, which just wouldn’t have been possible on the old connection.

“I’ve noticed Zoom and Facetime calls have become much smoother, and my family can now stream programmes and films across multiple screens at once, whereas in the past, it would have been a struggle.”

Before the installation, Mells was troubled by slow speeds and faced ongoing delays from former providers to solve the situation.

Voneus’ upgrade has enabled the village of 600 residents, which has a history dating from 6000 BC, to access speeds required for modern day life.

Arlo added: “There may not be many other YouTubers in the village who’ll benefit as much as I have from the massive improvement in upload speeds, but I think this upgrade will have wider reaching benefits.

“More people, especially those working in the creative industries, will now be able to spend more time working from home or local workspaces, contributing to the ongoing resurgence in village life and the diversification of the local economy.”

Heather Thompson, Voneus’ South West community engagement team leader, said: “Mells is one of the oldest villages in the UK, but that is no reason that it can’t be brought into the future and reap the benefits of ultrafast FTTP.

“Arlo is a prime example of someone who’s online presence should not be limited by his physical location, and stories like his is why we’re passionate about connecting up hard-to-reach communities so they can access the speeds they deserve."