VILLAGERS who campaigned for British Telecom to install broadband Internet access in their communities were celebrating victory last night.

People living in the villages of Croft, Hurworth, Neasham and Dalton, near Darlington, had battled for the high-speed technology to be provided in their communities.

David Russell and Andrew Lilly, of Croft, spearheaded the campaign, calling on other residents to express an interest in having broadband access.

BT set a trigger level of expressions of interest from 450 homes.

That target has now been reached, meaning broadband access should be available within four months.

Mr Russell hailed the development as a splendid effort by the local community.

"It has been a fantastic achievement for such a small exchange to reach such a large trigger level," he said.

But he sounded a note of caution, saying: "I now have concerns that BT will take an absolute age to enable our exchange. Looking at their website, one exchange that reached its trigger level a few weeks ago has got an active date of April 28. Three others are still awaiting active dates."

But a company spokesman said last night that procedures to install the technology would begin within a few days.

"Once the trigger level has been reached, we then put the area into our investment programme for an upgrade," he said.

"We will publicise things with local residents and will give a firm switch-on date, which should be around April time.

"This process gives BT the confidence that there is a sufficient level of demand to justify the investment. In this case, the local community has demonstrated that it exists."

BT would not update the Croft telephone exchange to broadband until it had expressions of interest from a quarter of all homes in the area. The trigger level for the company to install broadband is as little as 100 homes in some areas, but because it would cost more to update the small exchange in Croft more interest was needed to make the work viable

Mr Russell and Mr Lilly gathered support by delivering 1,700 leaflets and posters in the villages' schools, shops and pubs.