Virgin Media 100Mbps broadband launches today in four lucky towns

Virgin Media's 100Mbps super-fast broadband service is live today. Selected towns around Britain, including some in Yorkshire and Wales, now have broadband speeds that'll set their flatcaps spinning and see their leeks spring a leak.

The service offers 100Mbps download speeds and 10Mbps upload. Sign up, and you'll get a new "custom-built, energy-efficient" router that is apparently capable of handling up to 400Mbps when those speeds are available.

If you want to know which towns have the speedy connections, keep reading -- but we warn you, there'll be more timeworn regional stereotyping on the way. By 'eck.

The service is available in four towns. In no particular order, they are Heckmondwike, Farnborough, Colchester and Barry. Heckmondwike is the home of Britain's first Christmas illuminations, Stanley Matthews' football boots and the bass player from Cradle of Filth. It's near Leeds. Whippets. Flat caps. Hang on, we've done flat caps. Er, bread and butter pudding, is that a Yorkshire thing?

Also benefiting from headspinning speeds is Farnborough, in Hampshire: home of the airshow, Paul Weller and Napoleon III's tomb. Colchester, in Essex, is Britain's oldest recorded town and home to the zoo, Margaret Thatcher and Blur. Last but not least is Barry, the fifth largest town in Wales, home to Gavin and Stacey and the guy who invented SuperTed. Ah, there's lovely.

With a Virgin phone line, ultrafast broadband costs £35 per month, or £45 sans blower. Downloads are unlimited and you don't need a BT line. BT is in the process of launching its own speeded-up BT Infinity 40Mbps service in selected locations, while Virgin is also considering a Wi-Fi network for smart phone users.

Do you live in Heckmondwike, Farnborough, Colchester or Barry? Will you be signing up? Tell us your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to throw in some colourful local idioms.