POOR broadband speeds are restricting the education of children in rural communities, reveals a study.

One in five families who rely on the internet for children's schoolwork are let down as poor broadband prevents them from accessing online resources, it found.

Conducted by NFU Mutual, the countryside-specific study reveals widespread frustration at the quality of rural internet provision.

The insurance, life and pension provider uncovered the issue while studying internet use and satisfaction levels in the countryside.

Rural children are missing out on online education resources, it warned, with many internet users unhappy at the cost of poor service in the countryside.

NFU Mutual rural specialist Tim Price said: "As more educational resources become internet based, country children risk falling behind their urban counterparts.

"Studying via the internet is now a key part of children's education and it's unfair that learning opportunities are being affected by slow internet speeds."

The same study also highlighted that many families feel urban children have an advantage over their rural counterparts because of better access to fast internet.

Furthermore, 18% of these rural families complained that their children missed out on entertainment platforms for gaming or streaming online content because of slow internet.

Not only are rural households less likely to have superfast broadband (22% uptake vs. 32% in urban areas) but they are also half as likely to use mobile broadband through 3G and 4G devices.

As a result, more than one third (36%) of those who do have internet access in the countryside say that it's too slow for their needs.

This not only affects children's education, but is hitting the countryside financially too.

Around one in seven rural people (14%) say they have to spend extra cash on long distance phone calls because of poor broadband provision, paying out over £100 a year.

A similar number (12%) rely more heavily on text messaging as result, which costs them around £130 a year in mobile phone bills.

Meanwhile, one in 12 (8%) spend extra on letters and postage because they can't rely on their internet service, with an estimated associated cost of £140 a year.

While welcoming the recent announcement of a new £250m funding package to develop rural broadband, Mr Price warned that previous similar initiatives have yet to bear fruit.

"Rural communities are already falling way behind," he said.

"As the digital revolution gathers pace there's a real risk that the viability of some rural businesses will be threatened and children be put at a disadvantage."

Mr Price added: "The digital divide between rural and urban areas looks set to widen, with countryside communities left counting the emotional and financial costs.