BT has apologised for causing delays to traffic in Forres by digging up the Scottish town's high street last week, but insisted the work will boost broadband speeds in the area.

The telecoms giant dug up part of the west end of the road from Monday to Thursday (July 18th to 21st 2011), slowing down motorists and disturbing people in nearby buildings due to the noise of drilling, reports the Forres Gazette.

However, a spokesman from BT argued the benefits of its infrastructure improvement project will be well worth any temporary inconvenience caused by the initiative.

"We'd like to apologise for any noise or disruption to traffic that this caused, but this was essential maintenance work to ensure the smooth running of telephone and internet services for people in the area," he said.

Businesses and residents in the Moray town could receive download speeds of up to 20Mbps - more than double the maximum capabilities currently received by the average UK home - as a result of the upgrade.

Brendan Dick, BT's director for Scotland, described the development as an "important step forward" for the country.

"Faster broadband can help businesses become more competitive and greatly improve the online services available to families and home workers," he added.

Forres is one of several communities across the UK chosen by BT to benefit from faster copper broadband access.

Last week, the company revealed 140,000 additional homes and businesses in south-west England will be upgraded to up to 20Mbps speeds by next spring, along with 100,000 more commercial and residential premises in Wales.

As well as increasing access to its improved copper service, BT is rolling out fibre optic broadband to many other parts of the country.

By 2015, the organisation is aiming to cover two-thirds of the UK with its fibre broadband infrastructure, subject to a suitable economic climate. 

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