Residents in a tiny Welsh village became so fed-up with terrible Wi-Fi speed they took matters into their own hands - and they now have the fastest internet in Wales.

Online banking and downloading films used to be impossible for those living off the beaten track in Michaelston y Fedw.

And it proved a real problem for the businesses in the village of just 300 people, that sits between Newport and Cardiff.

So after reaching their wits' end and their pleas going unheard, residents gathered in the pub and decided 'enough was enough' and they would create their own, reports Wales Online.

It was while gathered at the pub, owned by Ben Longman and Caroline Hill, residents decided to fix it themselves (
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Slow internet proved a real problem for the village businesses such as the Cefn Mably Arms (
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“We were in the pub and we were all moaning about how bad the WiFi was,” said Ben Longman who runs the Cefn Mably Arms with Caroline Hill.

“Life is so difficult without internet. Online banking is impossible. The till systems all work online and were so slow. If we wanted to change a menu item it would take hour.

“I had just paid for high speed broadband and realised it would not work."

So then the hard work began as the villagers attempted to achieve what the communications giants couldn't (or wouldn't).

Michaelston y Fedw did what the communications giants couldn't (or wouldn't) - and it was all after an idea in a pub (
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The village is now the envy of every rural community who have struggled for internet (
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WalesOnline/ WS)

Fast forward one year, 12km of trenches, dozens of kilometers of fibre cables and thousands of hours of volunteering and the village is now reaping the rewards - and boasts the fastest internet in Wales.

Through a combination of government grants, fundraising loans and volunteering they have made their tiny village the envy of every rural community who have struggled for internet.

Brinley Richards, 79, has lived in the village for 25 years.

“It is a remarkable success story,” he said. “I am so proud of the community. The village deserves recognition. Some of the people will work more than 12 hours a day.

Brinley and Lilan Richards think it's brought the community together and they deserve some recognition (
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Glyn Williams who has had fibre installed at his house (
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“I have no doubt that other parts of Wales will asking us for advice.”

Beyond just installing high speed broadband, the project has done something even more important. It had brought a community together.

“It is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best things ever,” said Brinley.

“I have got to know more people in the last four months than I did in the previous 25 years.”

Jim Dunk, 71, agrees. He said: “The number of people from different walks of life I have met has been incredible.”

Mark Graveston and Jim Dunk celebrate with a well earned drink (
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Jim and Carina Dunk are no strangers to hard graft and dug trenches to connect the fibre (
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Internet speeds are measured in megabytes (MB). A broadband package has an average speed of 8Mbps. But for rural communities like this it can be as low as 1Mbps.

Incredibly, with their new cables the village is getting speeds of almost 1,000mps (or 1 gigabyte).

Not all houses are hooked up yet. The ones at the end of the village face the longest wait while the trenches are built.

One of these is Richard Raybould, 59. “I will be one of the last to get it,” he said.

Richard Raybould and Jim Dunk who are long time residents of the village but didn't meet until the fibre install (
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It took dozens of kilometers of fibre cables and thousands of hours of volunteering but the village now has the fastest internet in Wales. (
Image:
WalesOnline/ WS)

Carina Dunk, 61, who has had a key role in the project, added: "Will I be sad when it is done? No, I will get to play more golf!"

"It used to take a few days to download a film, now it takes less than a minute.

"Communities have tended to be more distant and detached but not here anymore.

"Sometimes we have to take a step back and pinch ourselves at what we have done.

"Anyone can do it, it is not rocket science."