Kent is set to get nearly £10m of government cash - but only if it stumps up £32m!

The money is part of the Government's drive to ensure 90 per cent of British homes and businesses have access to superfast broadband by 2015.

Nationally, rural and hard-to-reach areas have been allocated £362m to improve their broadband connections.

But Kent's handout will only be given if the county forks out millions from its own coffers.

Earlier this year Kent put in a bid to government for £42m.

That was what it said it needed to reach the 90 per cent government target.

But, according to Kent County Council officials, it will only get the government's share if it comes up with the rest.

Kevin Lynes, KCC cabinet member for regeneration, said the only way the authority could provide such a sum was to work closely with Kent businesses.

He added: "What we need to do is show the government where the rest of that money is coming from.

"Typically the thinking is that the private sector will invest a reasonable percentage, in some cases up to half. Some local authorities are also starting to invest, some are borrowing to be able to put that money in."

Earlier this year one Kent village was singled out as having the slowest internet speeds in the UK.

In a study by broadband comparison site Top10.com, the picture postcard village of Farningham notched up speeds of a paltry 1.3Mb.

That means it would take a staggering 12 hours to download just one movie from the web.

Farningham's broadband speeds are so slow, according to the survey, even remote Scottish border town Duns and the small village of Pentre in the Rhondda valleys of Wales have faster internet speeds.

The results were based on nearly 100,000 speed tests taken across the UK between August and October.