Britons are still receiving broadband speeds that are only half as fast as advertised, telecommunications watchdog Ofcom said.

According to the watchdog’s biannual report into the state of the broadband, the gap between the actual and advertised speeds has widened in the last six months to May.

In the fresh study, Ofcom found that the average broadband speed jumped 10 per cent, 6.2Mbps in November 2010 to 6.8Mbps in May. But, the average advertised speed was recorded at 15Mbps, 8.2Mbps faster than what the subscribers were actually receiving.

The biggest disparity in received and advertised broadband speeds was recorded with copper-based DSL phone lines, which is used in more than 75 per cent of households in the country.

Ofcom based its report on a survey of the home connections of a total of 1,700 people across the country.

Speaking on the topic, Ofcom’s chief Ed Richards said, "The research is still telling us that some consumers are not receiving anywhere near the speeds that are being advertised by some ISPs.”

Richards urged the CAP and BCAP committees to amend their advertising guidance to allow end-users to make more informed decisions based on the ads they see.