AS COVID-19 means many of us are working and socialising from home, we depend more than ever on a reliable internet connection.

And even as lockdown measures begin to ease, those reluctant to resume long commutes may choose to shun their office for good.

But an analysis of broadband quality in Basingstoke shows this could be easier for some than others.

The House of Commons Library has produced estimates of average download speeds for individual areas within each parliamentary constituency across the UK.

Buckskin and Worting is estimated to have the best broadband in Basingstoke, with average download speeds of 82.3 Mbps.

The likes of Houndmills and Oakridge (78.7 Mbps) and South Ham and West Ham (78.6 Mbps) are not too far behind.

But while Buckskin and Worting had the highest average download speed, Winklebury and Rooksdown had the greatest share of broadband users achieving ‘superfast’ speeds of over 30 Mbps.

The numbers also show that four areas of the constituency have 100 per cent access to superfast broadband: Buckskin and Worting; Houndmills and Oakridge; Kempshott; and Kings Furlong.

Spare a thought for those in Old Basing and the Candovers, where the average download speed is estimated to be 46.8 Mbps.

Hatch Warren (50 Mbps) and Kempshott (51.1 Mbps) have similar figures, all of which are below the UK average of 60.9 Mbps.

However, all other areas were above that average, with the Basingstoke constituency as a whole registering an estimated average download speed of 69.9 Mbps.

That figure is also well above the South East’s average of 61.4 Mbps.

An Ofcom spokesman said: “More than nine in 10 UK households can now get superfast broadband, but some areas still struggle for a decent connection.

“Since March, anyone who is unable to get a decent broadband service has the legal right to request one.”

A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said the Government is committed to bringing faster, gigabit-speed internet to the whole country – one gigabit is equal to 1,000 megabits.