Nearly one in three broadband customers are not happy with their provider, according to a survey by price comparison service uSwitch.

Four million of a total 15 million broadband users in the UK said they were unhappy with the service they receive – despite spending £3bn collectively.

The service of larger providers is not good enough, according to uSwitch.

"Issues can no longer be put down to teething problems – broadband has been up and running for seven years so any flaws should have been well and truly ironed out by now," said a spokesman.

Sky has moved ahead of Virgin Media in the battle for customer satisfication, with 81 per cent of customers satisfied, compared to Virgin Media's 74 per cent.

The two companies are engaged in an ongoing battle for customers.

Virgin Media is the UK's largest broadband company with 3.7 million users.

But Sky is the UK's fastest growing broadband provider, having acquired 1.2 million customers in less than two years - thanks to bundling broadband with its digital TV package and marketing it aggressively.