The British countryside could see 300,000 more people in employment: a total of six per cent. That’s according to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which predicts rural areas could generate an extra £35 billion in revenue.

It attributes this potential to increasing access to high-speed broadband, as well as an improved road network.

The prediction follows the government’s decision to invest £15 billion in maintaining and upgrading UK roads.

Environment secretary Elizabeth Truss emphasised the economic boost, saying: “This is a truly exciting time for rural communities with the countryside set to become even more of an economic powerhouse for the UK, building our economic security.”

Defra’s analysis found that people in rural areas were only 83 per cent as productive as those in cities. However, despite only being home to 18 per cent of the population, it is the location for 25 per cent of all businesses.