VOUCHERS worth £3,000 are set to help a Bradford video games producer speed up its operations and boost future growth potential.

4 Door Lemon, based in Little Germany, is among recipients of vouchers awarded under the Government’s Superconnected Cities programme to help firms get faster web connections.

Simon Barratt, managing director, said the vouchers would enable the company to buy kit to improve internet connections and be able to send data in a fraction of the time it takes now.

He said: “ Getting the vouchers will be a real boon to the business. It will mean we can get systems to achieve a 100 per cent improvement in internet connections which will vastly improve our communications with clients.

“With poor current connections, sending some large files to clients can take around two hours. Once we get the new kit this will be drastically reduced to just a few minutes for similar sized files which means a major improvement in customer service.”

4 Door Lemon is working on its latest computer game - Joe Danger - featuring a daredevil motorcycle stunt rider.

Around 375 businesses in Bradford and Leeds have been awarded vouchers worth more than £800,000 to pay for hardware and internet connectivity installation costs since the programme was launched in February.

Small and medium firms in Bradford and Leeds postcodes can apply for vouchers online using a simple application form at SuperconnectedLeedsBradford.co.uk.

Successful companies will receive grants of up to £3,000 to cover the cost of upgrading.

According to Superconnected Cities, Bradford and Leeds have seen more superfast broadband connections than any outside London, beating Cardiff, Belfast and Manchester as well as 16 other centres.

Phil Cole, Leeds City Council’s head of business support, said: “The offer of up to £3,000 of funding to improve your business is a compelling one, and we have seen over 90 per cent of completed applications succeed in attracting awards of an average of £2,200 for IT hardware.

“The improvements in productivity, reliability of access and the new applications and technologies that can only be used with superfast connectivity, make it a no-brainer for businesses that want to compete with the best in the UK and further afield.

“Ordinarily applicants hear within 24 hours if their application is successful, and nine out of ten completed applications receives a grant.”