Housebuilder Persimmon is boosting profits by giving purchasers no alternative but to sign up to its broadband service.

New owners moving on to estates built by the developer will often find that FibreNest, which is owned by Persimmon, is the only internet network they can choose.

In the past year, the internet provider’s customer numbers have more than doubled from 6,000 to 14,000.

Persimmon has been criticised by some MPs for creating its own monopoly by forcing residents to use their broadband.

Bill Esterson, Labour MP for Sefton Central, said: “This is predatory behaviour.”

Persimmon, which made a pre-tax profit of £784m in 2020, says it provides the network to ensure homeowners do not have to wait for another company to connect.

Sir John Hayes, Tory MP for South Holland and The Deepings, said: “These huge building firms should not be taking advantage of homeowners for the sake of their own financial interests.

“No residents should be tied to the builder’s own provider and forced to dance to their tune.”

FibreNest charges £14 a month for download speeds of 10 megabits per second (Mbps) and up to £45 for 500Mbps.

Andrew Ferguson, editor of thinkbroadband.com, told the press: “Persimmon is following the law, but it is not playing fair.”