Companies including BT are able to enter the broadband market in Hull, but have declined to invest in services in the area, saying it would be uneconomic to do so. This is partly due to the strength of KCOM's brand in the region, but also due to the size of the copper used on the local network, which is different from that used by BT.

Ms Wallis, a KCOM customer, said she has approached Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, about the issue after a "huge" number of complaints from constituents, but she has been frustrated that no progress has been made, and said meetings with KCOM last week had failed to resolve the issue. KCOM argues that it is up to other suppliers to invest in the Hull market.

Ms Wallis said it was an "absurd situation" that the rest of the UK benefits from some of the lowest broadband prices in Europe while residents of Hull have to pay up to twice as much for high-speed internet.