Frustrated residents can't get online even though the people living opposite can - and they've been told nothing will improve for at least three years.

Despite being only 20 miles from London, a section of Wrotham Heath is experiencing download speeds of just 6Mbps- the average in the UK is 51Mbps.

People have tried mesh networks, dongles and hot-spotting to boost performance - all without success.

Dan Truman, of Maidstone Road, is one of those adversely affected.

He runs his own business Duga Digital, which - somewhat ironically - looks to improve business's website design and optimise their online performance, but he can't get a workable broadband speed at home.

Mr Truman said: "I've tried everything to boost the signal - I have a graveyard of technology here - but it's impossible."

He has been reduced to renting a co-working space in Sevenoaks at the Lime Tree Workshop. He said: "They have been absolutely outstanding for me when I needed their support, but it is costing £400 a month."

He said: "In this age of video conferencing, it is highly unlikely that anyone working from home in Wrotham Heath will have their camera turned on. The broadband simply cannot achieve both audio and video connectivity.

"We have a paltry 6Mbps download speed at most and less than 1Mbps upload."

It is specifically a Wrotham Heath problem. And even more specifically just one part of Wrotham Heath.

Neighbouring communities in Wateringbury, West Malling and Borough Green have much better performances. And even homes on the opposite side of the road just 12 metres away are fine.

Mr Truman said: "My own parents live just a few miles away in Ightham and they get speeds of up to 900MB. We are being severely let down."

Another Wrotham Heath resident Penelope Stevens has been reduced to paying for two broadband providers at her home, because one would not support both her and her son, who is studying for his GSCEs, to be online at the same time.

She said: "Even so, it is not sufficient to upload to my work server, which is a bit of a problem as I work as a graphic designer."

She is reduced to travelling to Borough Green library to use their internet whenever she needs to download anything substantial.

Miss Stevens has gone door to door to find out the extent of the problem.

She said: "There are around 75 homes that have been missed out of the superfast service. We are between Windmill Hill and Seven Mile Lane, but only on the southern side of Maidstone Road. The houses opposite me, on the Holiday Inn side, have superfast speeds."

Miss Stevens, who even contacted her MP Tom Tugendhat for help, has concluded there is nothing more to be done.

She said: "BT said we are due for an upgrade in 2026, and we just have to wait until then."

Gayle Thompson is one of the lucky ones on the other side of road. She said: "Our broadband is fine.

"It wasn't always. There was a time when I had to send our children to their aunty's to do their homework, because they could get online here.

"But about four years ago we were upgraded and now its much faster.

She said: "I didn't realise that some of my neighbours were still struggling. It must be very frustrating."

Most premises in Wrotham Heath are served by the Seal exchange, where 75% of homes and businesses can order ultrafast, full-fibre broadband. However, a few homes are still served by the West Malling exchange which is yet to be upgraded.

Openreach is the company that provides the cabling infrastructure that most providers use.

A spokesman said: “Openreach is investing £15b upgrading 25 million homes and businesses across the UK to ultra-fast, full-fibre broadband by the end of 2026.

"That includes more than 6.2 million in the toughest to serve 'final third' of the country."

The spokesman added: "Our engineers are busy building full fibre across Kent.

"Some 75% of the Borough Green exchange area (which serves Wrotham Heath) already has access to faster, more reliable full fibre broadband through a provider of their choice on the Openreach network.

"People can check to see if the new network is available to them by putting their address into the fibre checker at www.openreach.com

“We understand how frustrating it is when people are close to – but not included in – an upgraded network.

"We've upgraded more than 3,200 premises in the Borough Green exchange area to date - but there will always be a small minority that aren’t commercially viable to reach alone or without public subsidy."