Britain’s most expensive phone bill: Farmer quoted £100k for internet

A farmer has been hit with what may be Britain’s most expensive quote for broadband.

Jim Webster, of Page Bank Farm near Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was asked to pay more than £100,000 to get a faster connection to his home.

He wanted an upgrade through a government scheme to request a minimum download speed.

But installing cables in rural areas can often be expensive.

If it costs less than £3,400, people can get it done free under the Government’s Universal Service Obligation. But consumers must stump up for any extra costs.

BT told the farmer that putting in the cable would come at an eye-watering cost.

Mr Webster said he was quoted £70,000-£100,000 by phone. He was then asked if he would like the quote in writing.

He said: “I thought, ‘I am not missing getting a written quotation for this sort of money’.

“I thought once they put it in writing, they would cut it down a bit to something more sensible.

“It shows how wrong you can be, really.” The final quote was for £104,311.20.

BT said: “His property is three kilometres away from our nearest usable network, which means that extensive civil engineering, build and cabling work is needed for a connection.”