Ofcom has been accused of ignoring the lack of broadband access in and around Henley on Thames in its latest report on connectivity across the UK.

The independent regulator's study grouped Henley and the surrounding areas with large towns and cities such as Banbury, Bicester and Oxford.

According to the research, 62 per cent of homes in the county are able to take advantage of super-fast broadband, while the average sync speed stands at 7Mbps. Three-quarters of households are signed to a broadband service and just 14.5 per cent are receiving download rates of less than 2Mbps.

In contrast, 58 per cent of UK premises can connect to a super-fast line and nationwide broadband take-up is 68 per cent.

However, in a letter to Ofcom, Henley MP John Howell claimed the survey was guilty of "airbrushing" over rural communities that are affected by poor connectivity.

While he acknowledged his constituency is generally considered to be affluent, Mr Howell pointed out there are "substantial pockets of rural deprivation" where there is little or no access to broadband, reports the Henley Standard.

"In other areas, provision is so slow and unreliable as to be considered non-existent," he added.

The MP's office conducted a small-scale study into local broadband provision in March, discovering that several villages - including Benson and Ipsden - can only access a low-quality service.

Mr Howell urged the government and private sector telecoms firms such as BT and Virgin Media not to pay too much attention to research of this nature.

"My concern is that reports such as this will be used to inform investment decisions," he remarked. "This will inevitably lead to my constituents in the south of the county being bypassed."

The Conservative politician has been calling for BT to extend its fibre optic broadband service to Henley and the surrounding areas in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. 

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