Orkney island gets broadband via water pipes in UK first

Ian Cursiter, a Water Board supply engineer and farmer in Papa Westray, has lived on the island his whole life.

For the first time, the broadband allows him to access the same facilities as those elsewhere.

He is now able to watch calves being born from the comfort of his bedroom, allowing him to catch up on sleep.

“If you’re disturbing them when they’re calving sometimes they just stop and they look at you like they want to get on with it, so that’s one of the good things.

“We had an analogue system for one or two years but the cameras didn’t seem to last very well. The digital side of things is so much better, I find that anyway.”

The camera can move 360 degrees, meaning Mr Crusiter can see what’s going on from all angles.

He was one of the workers who helped to install the broadband and said it’s “amazing and different”.

The system also means the chance of a calf dying is less likely, as Mr Cursiter is able to monitor the situation closely.

He says the costs to put the cameras in is “worth it” if it means saving a calf’s life.