The four overall best providers are Be Broadband, Eclipse, Namesco and Madasafish, with each receiving scores of nine out of 10, according to an independent study that gauges users' views on customer service, technical support, speed, billing and reliability.

In contrast, household names, such as Sky and Talk Talk, scored the worst. They received just four out of 10, research by price comparison service moneysupermarket.com reveals.

Head of broadband Jason Lloyd said the findings were unsurprising, with droves of customers deserting the main players who have been unable to cope with huge demand for their free broadband packages.