A village is about to become the first in the UK where everyone can get the fastest broadband speeds possible.

Deddington has been chosen as the pilot community for BT’s new fibre-only exchange programme.

Residents will be able to download a song in under a second and a high definition film in under 20 seconds.

Chairman of Deddington Parish Council Jim Flux said: “Deddington is helping pave the way for services of the future.”

Work will begin in the next few weeks and, by 2013, all residents and businesses in Deddington, Clifton, Hempton and Barford St Michael will have downstream speeds of up to 300 megabits per second.

They currently have speeds of between two and four mbps. Oxford has speeds of about eight mbps.

Although 300mbps is available to individuals across the country, this is the first time an entire community will have access to the technology.

BT project director Phil Allington said: “We hope this will change the lives of people in Deddington.

“It is a huge jump. People in the village will all have access to the highest speed available in the UK.”

With copper, the speed of the internet reduces with distance from the exchange, whereas fibre cables offer equal speeds for everyone.

The Deddington exchange was chosen for its size, as it serves around 1,400 lines.