Ashley Partridge

Broadband speeds in Lincoln look set to double as Virgin Media announced that it is rolling out faster connections for the city.

The Double Speeds programme gives free automatic upgrades to the current service. Lincoln has been chosen as one of the first places in the East of England to receive the improvements.

It is scheduled to be completed by the middle of 2013.

Customers on the 10Mb, 20Mb, 30Mb and 50Mb plans can expect to see their download speeds double. The premium 100Mb tariff will be upgraded to 120Mb at a reduced cost.

Virgin noted that 120mb will be the fastest broadband in the country, and estimated that it would take just 4.4 seconds to download a music album.

Executive director of broadband at Virgin Media, Jon James, said: “We’re delighted to be boosting our customer’s in Lincoln broadband speeds once again.”

Once the work is completed, it will raise Lincoln’s standings in the world broadband speed league tables.

The government wants British residents to have the best connections in Europe by 2015, and Virgin said it has an “on-going commitment to delivering the fastest broadband speeds in the UK”.

If you are a Virgin Media customer, you can check to see when you speed will be doubled through the Bolt-o-meter.

Peace campaigners are planning to hold a protest at RAF Waddington near Lincoln against the use of unmanned drone aircraft.

Members of the SPEAK organisation will gather outside the station from 6pm on Friday, August 10.

Their actions will be peaceful and are set to include a vigil for people who have been killed in drone strikes.

The protest is part of a wider project that aims to increase awareness about these types of planes and government involvement in the arms trade.

SPEAK is a Christian-based network made up of young adults and students who pray about global injustices. They have called Britain’s use of drones “deplorable”.

A spokesman for SPEAK said: “Their increasing use raises considerable ethical dilemmas, not least the shadowy nature of the UK’s involvement through RAF Waddington.

“This is an issue that local people in Lincoln feel strongly about, especially as military technology and skills should be used to enhance more sustainable industries in the local area.”

Drone aircraft are unmanned and controlled from the ground. They have been used in the Middle East as a way of carrying out surveillance and attacks, without putting military lives at risk. The RAF’s model is known as the Reaper.

A spokesperson for RAF Waddington explained to The Lincolnite that the aircraft itself won’t actually be at the station near Lincoln:

“RAF Waddington will shortly be the base for Reaper ground control stations.

“No Reaper aircraft will be based at Waddington and there are no plans to fly RAF Reapers in the UK. Crews based at Waddington will operate the aircraft in Afghanistan.

“It is undoubtedly helping to save the lives of our forces, our allies and those of countless Afghan civilians.”

On Saturday, protesters will then cycle to Nottingham as part of SPEAK’s Bardic Bike Tour, which aims to raise awareness of Drone use.