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 Cornwall 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.

In Truro and Falmouth, the fastest area was Probus and Roseland, where the average download speed was 37.3 megabits per second in May 2019, when the data was recorded.

In the St Ives constituency area, which includes Helston, the fastest area was the Isles of Scilly, where the average download speed was 44.8 megabits per second.

In Camborne and Redruth the fastest area was Illogan and Portreath, where the average download speed was 41.2 megabits per second.

The UK average is 60.9.

At the other end of the scale in the three constituencies, the area of Falmouth East saw an average speed of 19.9, while Penzance Quay was 18.3 and Redruth South had an average of 23.

Ofcom’s definition of “superfast” downloads is at least 30 Mbps.

The figures reflect speeds received rather than those available, as some people may have access to faster connections than the ones they pay for.

Earlier this year, the Government announced a £5 billion investment to roll out faster broadband to the hardest-to-reach areas across the nation.

But Andrew Ferguson, editor of Think Broadband, said some people could wait until 2025 to see the improvements.

He added: “With the pandemic highlighting how key broadband is for a functioning society, the need to address those worst off broadband-wise has never been clearer.”

The House of Commons Library analysis looked at other measures, including internet availability.

In Probus and Roseland, 92 per cent of premises were capable of receiving superfast download speeds in January, whether or not they were using such a service.

On the Isles of Scilly it was 95 per cent and the same in Illogan and Portreath.

Meanwhile, virtually all premises were able to receive 10Mbps download speeds or 1Mbps for uploads, which Ofcom deems the minimum requirement for “decent broadband”.

The Government recently wrote into law the right to request this level of service, with Ofcom estimating in December that roughly 155,000 premises across the UK could be in line to claim.

In Falmouth East, three per cent of premises were unable to get decent service, while 81 per cent had access to superfast download speeds.

In Penzance Quay, one per cent were unable to get decent service and 88 per cent had access to superfast.

In Redruth South, less than 0.5 per cent of premises were unable to get decent service, while 96 per cent had access to superfast download.

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.

“We’re also supporting investment in faster, full-fibre broadband for the UK – including making sure rural areas get better connections.”

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.

He added: “We are determined to deliver on our gigabit commitment and are removing the barriers to industry accelerating broadband roll-out as well as investing £5 billion so the hardest-to-reach areas aren’t left behind.”