Bournemouth will become the first UK "fibrecity" after a plan to deliver broadband to residents and businesses through the sewers was given the green light.

The £30m project – due to be started in six months – will provide high bandwidth to over 88,000 sites at speeds exceeding those that current DSL or cable modems are capable of.

"Bournemouth really needs to embrace the many advantages that being a Fibrecity will bring and I am sure it will bring massive rewards to all homes and businesses that sign up to the services that this network will enable," said Nick King, Bournemouth council’s cabinet member for communications.

The project – the largest of its kind in Europe – will enable high-bandwidth services such as real time video conferencing and real time CCTV traffic monitoring.

The Council decided to choose network provider H20 to install the technology after seeing positive results from a pilot in its offices.

Where the sewers are not viable, H2O Networks will install the cable using its patented BMD (Blown Mini Duct) system.

With this method, a small, 20mm wide slot is channelled into roads in order to lay the cable.