Operator of the fire-damaged transmitter expects to give viewers a ‘firm timeframe’ for a more widespread restoration of services on Friday afternoon.
Arqiva has confirmed that limited services have been restored in four locations. It follows Tuesday’s fire at Bilsdale transmitter, triggering a TV blackout across parts of North Yorkshire, Teesside and small sections of County Durham and West Yorkshire.
The limited restoration was part of Phase 1 of the emergency project to bring TV and radio services back to the area’s airwaves.
Phase 2 will involve increasing coverage via further temporary sites. Temporary masts will be built next to the fire-damaged mast in Bilsdale. This will enable the majority of the remaining affected households to access TV and radio services. The timeframe for this is expected to be announced later today.
Phase 3 is when services are returned completely to normal. This is expected to be months away.
Limited restoration so far
In Phase 1, Bilsdale’s biggest relays have been engineered to receive alternative feeds. At Eston Nab, Arqiva confirmed a temporary tower has been built and is broadcasting a selection of Freeview channels. The usual relay at the site is off-air; instead the temporary arrangement widens the coverage of the site to reach homes from Redcar upto to Hartlepool and into parts of Eastern Middlesbrough. The site is also transmitting BBC Radio Tees and TFM to a reduced coverage area.
Details about receiving this temporary service are available in our earlier news post.
Over the hill from Eston, the Guisborough relay has also gone live again, this time broadcasting Freeview channels originating from Pontop Pike in County Durham rather than Bilsdale.
A limited number of Freeview channels are now available in Whitby and Glaisdale, but without the correct regional news. The Whitby relay is now broadcasting BBC Radio Tees again.
Arqiva said in a statement issued late on Thursday:
“While we understand the frustration of those in areas that are not yet restored, we would like to assure you that we are doing all we can to restore services as fast as we can. Bilsdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and to replicate what is there is not a simple task.”
Scam Alert
Meanwhile, local media report scammers are trying to con members of the public into buying a new aerial to fix their TV reception problems. Local authorities have urged people to be vigilant.