An Oxfordshire council chief has pledged to lobby BT and Virgin Media to increase broadband coverage in the area.

David Robertson, deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said the body will bid for government cash in December 2010 to spend on network improvements, reports the Oxford Times.

Under the local authority's plans, BT, Virgin Media and a number of smaller broadband providers would be targeted to carry out the work, with Mr Robertson commenting: "The county council is not in the business of laying cable infrastructure."

He added: "We have been told the government is ready and wanting to receive proposals, with funding available."

The measures are necessary as the newspaper claimed that an estimated one-sixth of homes across the county have limited or no access to broadband.

This summer, BT announced that more than 15 million businesses and households in the UK access the web via the telecoms giant's network, with the company adding 14.8 million connections since 2002.

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