Where are the best internet speeds in city?

Broadband speeds in parts of Sunderland are higher than the national average – but other parts of the city are lagging, according to new figures.

With the COVID-19 lockdown easing, that will be good news for some home workers reluctant to resume the daily commute and shun their office for good – but not for everyone.

The House of Commons Library has produced estimates of average download speeds for each parliamentary constituency in the UK.

An analysis of broadband quality in the city shows this could be easier for some than others.

In Washington and Sunderland West, the fastest areas were Oxclose and Lambton, with a average download speed of 86.7 megabits per second in May 2019, when the data was recorded – significantly higher than the UK average of 60.9.

At the other end of the scale, Washington Town Centre and Biddick had an average speed of 36.2 – but even that is above regulator Ofcom’s definition of “superfast” downloads, which it defines as at least 30 Mbps.

In Sunderland Central, Thorney Close and Plains Farm had an average download speed of 82.0 megabits per second.

Seaburn was the slowest with an average speed of 37.4.

In Houghton and Sunderland South, Thorney Close and Plains Farm had an average download speed was 82.0 megabits per second, while Houghton West saw an average speed of 33.9.

The Government, earlier this year announced a £5bn investment to roll out faster broadband but Andrew Ferguson, editor of Think Broadband, said some people could wait until 2025 to see the improvements.