RURAL broadband connections are half as fast as those available in cities - and much slower than the national average.

In 2014, the average broadband speed in rural England was 13Mbits per second compared to 26Mbps in urban areas.

During the same year, the average speed across England as a whole was 24Mbps.

The figures are contained in the April edition of the Statistical Digest of Rural England, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

"Average rural speeds are more likely to be slower than those in urban areas," says the document.

"There is less superfast broadband in rural areas.

"We expect this to change as BDUK's rural broadband programme progresses."

Rural premises are typically further away from cabinets, with long copper line connections, leading to slower performance, explains the digest.

Broadband speeds are even slower in more sparsely populated areas.

In 2014, the average broadband speed in rural hamlets and isolated dwellings in a sparse setting was 5 Mbit/s compared with 27 Mbit/s in major urban conurbations.

"Speeds vary because it is harder for network operators to recoup the fixed costs necessary for upgrading exchanges and cabinets in rural areas."

This is because there are lower population densities, and therefore fewer end subscribers."

The full statistical digest can be downloaded here.