Two ex-members of the Armed Forces from the Blackpool and Fylde coast area have been able to transfer some of the skills they learnt during their service to become engineers for BT Openreach, helping to roll out superfast fibre broadband across the UK.

Rob Povey and Adam Archer have 23 and 11 years experience in the Army respectively, travelling the world, learning technical skills and realising the importance of communications, whether they be during a battle or about connecting to high-speed internet.

Mr Archer explained: "In my previous job, communications were often about helping to save people's lives on the battlefield. Now my work is more about using communications to help enhance people's lives."

Last month it was announced by BT that the network provider was looking to recruit over 1,000 new engineers, with a focus on getting ex-Forces members on board. In the north-west, 130 jobs were recently created, which led to these two ex-servicemen joining the company.

Overall, BT and Lancashire County Council hope to connect 97 per cent of homes and businesses in the county to superfast broadband by the end of 2015.

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