Bridport and its surrounding area faces a longer wait for superfast broadband access than other towns in Dorset.

And that is forcing local businesswoman Nichola Ross Martin to relocate.

Her tax consultancy firm, which includes five commercial websites, relies upon a strong internet connection to remain competitive.

Now she is urging residents and businesses to express their interest in superfast broadband in order to speed up the process.

British Telecom is behind the decision to prioritise towns such as Dorchester and Lyme Regis by offering them superfast broadband access by spring 2014, leaving Bridport to wait until 2016 for the service.

Nichola, whose business is located in Uploders, was shocked to find that moving to Bridport would still leave her waiting another three years to access the more efficient superfast broadband, now in use across much of Britain.

“Perhaps it’s understandable that we haven’t been promised superfast broadband in Uploders in the near future, but I can’t believe that Bridport has been left out,” she said.

“Today’s businesses rely heavily upon e-commerce, and rural businesses in this country suffer if they are unable to match the network speeds of their competitors in more heavily populated areas. “But more than that, the internet connection in this area is generally quite poor, and I’m sure plenty of residents like me are fed up with slow streaming and download speeds. We just need to make our voices heard.”

In Burton Bradstock, residents have already expressed their support for Dorset County Council’s £31.75 million project to bring superfast broadband to 97 per cent of properties in Dorset by 2016, which was launched in July.

Hundreds of residents submitted paper forms or registered directly online with the council to demonstrate the demand for BT’s services in the local area. The task of surveying all areas not covered by superfast broadband is still underway.

Penny Syddall, senior public relations officer for the Superfast Dorset scheme, explained that it is still unclear exactly which areas will be able to access the service.

“We’re keen to tell people that they will soon have access to superfast broadband, but there’s no point in giving them inaccurate information at this early stage. This is an ambitious project and we’re looking forward to it gaining more attention in the future,” she said.

To register your support for superfast broadband in your area, go to http://tinyurl.com/cytpwm6 or phone the DCC Broadband team direct on 01305 221 048 To join Nichola’s Facebook group, go to facebook.com/groups/superfastforall