THE UK government is offering help to UK homes and businesses with the slowest internet speeds – though a local businessman says he doubts whether the scheme will be of much use to people living in remoter parts of the Helensburgh and Lomond area.

The Better Broadband grants, of up to £350 per household are now available to improve internet connection speeds.

To date more than 4,000 homes and businesses in hard to reach areas have taken up the offer.

Businessman and IT expert John Reid, who lives in Portincaple, near Garelochhead, and has repeatedly raised the issue of poor broadband speeds in the area at meetings of the village’s community council, said the Better Broadband grants were “an old scheme” and were not likely to be of much help to people living in the area and in other harder-to-reach locations, such as the Rosneath peninsula.

Mr Reid told the Advertiser: “I feel that the old scheme is politicians, as per usual, getting involved without any understanding of technical matters and limitations.

“It is quite likely that there will always be places where connection speeds will be low.

Visit basicbroadbandchecker.culture.gov.uk for more information on the Better Broadband scheme.