Homes in some areas of Hertfordshire are set to get "lightning fast" broadband thanks to a new £5 billion project, the government has announced.

Households in Hitchin, Harpenden and Hertsmere are among 97,000 homes across seven counties to benefit from Project Gigabit.

According to the government, the project "targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers’ plans, reaching parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on getting the digital connectivity they need".

Those given access to the broadband are set to receive speeds of 1,000 megabits per second, way above the UK average of average of around 73Mbps.

"We’re wasting no time in our mission to bring lightning-fast broadband to rural areas – with a billion pounds in contracts already signed with broadband companies to get our next-generation network up and running," said data and digital infrastructure minister, Julia Lopez.

"Project Gigabit is already driving growth, creating jobs and putting an end to snail’s pace internet speeds, and we will continue to work rapidly to ensure people feel the benefits of our rollout to even more places across the UK as quickly as possible."

The government added that it wanted 85 per cent of the population to have access to gigabit broadband by 2025, with the whole country benefiting from the same speed by 2030.

Independent provider, CityFibre, will be installing the new services, with work set to start this summer.

"We’re thrilled to be a key delivery partner for the government on this critical infrastructure project, transforming the digital capabilities of rural homes and businesses across the country," said CityFibre CEO, Greg Mesch. 

"But that’s just the start. We’re continuing to expand our commercial rollout alongside Project Gigabit, extending infrastructure choice, multi-gigabit speeds, and unparalleled reliability to hundreds of thousands of additional premises in these regions."