VILLAGERS will be able to get superfast broadband as a thank you to them for their patience in putting up with disruption caused by a major civil engineering project.

Essex and Suffolk Water has been working on a £150 million expansion project at Abberton Reservoir which will see its capacity increase from 26,000 million litres to 41,000 million litres.

The firm has set up a £750,000 community fund to compensate villagers for the disruption while work has been underway.

And now residents living in the rural villages of Peldon, Abberton, Langenhoe, Great and Little Wigborough, Salcott Cum Virley and Layer Breton will be able to enjoy superfast broadband to rival Britain's biggest cities.

For more on this story, see tomorrow's Gazette.