New mast set up to improve TV signal for 100,000 homes after Bilsdale fire

Another temporary 80ft mast is being set up in North York Moors National Park to improve the television signal for around 100,000 homes.

Households in North Yorkshire, Teesside and County Durham currently recieve a signal from a temporary transmitter, which was set up after the 1,000ft Bilsdale mast caught fire in August.

Operator Arqiva said the “second, more resilient, interim mast” will be switched on in February and remain in place until a permanent replacement is built.

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But the company has warned around 2,500 households could be affected by the switchover, as a “signal shadow” will be created where the line of sight is interrupted.

The 1,000ft Bilsdale mast was demolished after it caught fire in August.The 1,000ft Bilsdale mast was demolished after it caught fire in August.
The 1,000ft Bilsdale mast was demolished after it caught fire in August.

In a statement, the company said: “Our planners predict that half of these (approximately 1,250 homes) rely on Freeview services and will lose their TV signal as a result of the switchover.

“The majority of the homes affected are likely to be along a strip of the County Durham coast. Homes which use Sky, Virgin and Freesat services will not be affected by the switchover.”

Arqiva has written to the homeowners who are expected to lose signal and said it can send out engineers to repoint their aerials.

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The company has also applied for planning permission to build a 994ft permanent transmitter mast at Bilsdale and said it could be operational by autumn of this year “if planning permission is granted quickly and work commences as scheduled”.

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Shuja Khan, chief commercial officer of Arqiva, said: “We want to restore and improve services to people across the region as quickly as possible.

"We have set out more details and likely timescales through 2022, including a huge construction project to permanently replace the old Bilsdale Mast.

“While we are making real progress, we also know that this work can cause disruption, and that is frustrating for many viewers and listeners.

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“We are working hard with our partners to restore services, and to support those people whose services are affected.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has said the cause of the fire which damaged the mast in August is “believed to be electrical”.

Arqiva said there has been a “detailed, forensic investigation into the cause of the fire” and the findings will be released in the coming weeks.

The Freeview, DAB, and FM radio signals for more than 1 million people in Yorkshire and the North East were affected by the incident.