FIVE communities in the Borders are to get new ultra-fast broadband.

Galashiels, Tweedbank, Selkirk, Peebles and Hawick are among 250 places to benefit from the new £12billion plan by Telecoms company Openreach.

Borders MP John Lamont welcomed the news.

He said: “Poor broadband and mobile signal is one of the most common causes of complaints in the Borders.

"This has only intensified due to more and more people working from home over the last few months.

"That’s why I am delighted that Openreach is investing in better broadband across towns in Selkirkshire and Roxburghshire.

"Better broadband really makes a difference to people’s lives for work and for recreation."

Work is expected to get under way in many of the announced locations within the next 12-18 months.

But due to the size of the build, some places will see work continue into 2024.

Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, said: “This year we’ve all seen the importance of having a decent broadband connection, and at Openreach we’re convinced that full fibre technology can underpin the UK’s economic recovery.

"We’re determined to find inventive engineering solutions and effective partnership funding models to reduce costs and enable us to connect as many communities as possible across the UK without public subsidy.

"Openreach is leading the charge to help government achieve its target of making gigabit capable networks available nationwide by 2025.

“We hope that by publishing our own plans, we can help ensure that taxpayers only fund connections in communities that really need public support.”