More than one million homes and businesses have superfast broadband, figures show.

The Government aims to have broadband across 95 per cent of the UK by 2017, and said its £1.7 billion investment is "firmly on track" to achieve that target.

Coverage in the UK is highest of the top five ­economies in Europe, the Government said.

The most remote areas of the UK are now the Government's target, it said, with findings from eight pilot locations which have had an investment of £10 million, informing improvements.

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said access to superfast broadband is transforming life and work.

"You can download feature length films faster, chatting online using VOIP is more reliable and households can go online simultaneously," he said.

"For businesses, superfast speeds are boosting profits through reduced overheads and accessing markets abroad for the first time."

It is estimated improvements to broadband could create a further 56,000 jobs in the UK by 2024.