Kent is making a £42m bid for superfast broadband as rural businesses and individuals celebrate a milion pound upgrade.

Kent County Council announced today that 10 areas would each receive up to £100,000 to give them faster connectivity.

The winners of the Superfast Rural Broadband Round One bids are Godmersham and Crundale (Ashford); Stansted (Tonbridge and Malling); Goudhurst, Lympne and Stanford (Shepway); and Lydd, Greatstone and Dungeness (Shepway).

Winners of a community broadband scheme are Eythorne (Dover), Kingston (Canterbury), Rolvenden (Ashford), Sandgate (Shepway) and Yalding (Maidstone).

Speaking at the NextGen roadshow in Tonbridge, Kevin Lynes, Cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, said superfast broadband across the entire county was "mission critical" for its competitiveness.

Slow or non-existed broadband affected education, business performance and a host of other issues. It was "crazy" that so much of the county had access to less than 4MB. Operators had only gone for the "low hanging fruit" in urban areas. They had a moral obligation to invest in rural areas.

Businesses and households "deserve good connectivity and speeds so they can deliver services to their customers, make online transactions or for education and leisure activities. This is why we have launched a bid to Government for £42m so all of Kent can benefit."

The result is due to be announced before the end of the month.