Bilsdale transmitter fire: TV and radio restored for some

TV and radio services have been restored in some Teesside homes after being disrupted by a mast fire.

The blaze at the Bilsdale mast on Tuesday impacted Freeview, DAB and FM radio signals across North Yorkshire, Teesside and County Durham.

However, after a blackout of more than 24 hours, BBC TV channels for some households in Hartlepool, Redcar and Middlesbrough are back on.

BBC Tees FM is also back on air for some areas.

Mast operators, Arqiva, said it had managed to restore TV and radio services for hundreds of thousands of people.

A spokesman said: "We are assessing all options open to us but the process is a gradual one.

"We apologise for the inconvenience but ask that you bear with us as our teams work hard to deliver solutions for as many people as possible as quickly and safely as we can."

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said on Wednesday a 300m cordon around the site would remain in place until the operator could "confirm that the tower is structurally secure".

A spokesperson added: "When the site is safe, we will return for a closer examination. This will allow us to positively confirm that the fire has been extinguished and to begin the process of investigating the cause of the fire.

"At this time there is nothing to suggest that the first is the result of any criminal activity but this cannot be confirmed until a closer examination has been carried out."

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police previously said Airwave, the radio service used by all the emergency services, had not been affected by the mast fire.

The 1,032ft (315m) tall tower was built in 1969 and provides coverage for 500,000 homes across northern England, from Tadcaster to Seaham.

Arqiva said about 200,000 of those use Freeview as their main TV platform.

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