Bilsdale transmitter: Temporary mast switched on

A temporary mast to provide a TV signal for hundreds of thousands of homes has been switched on.

The transmitter, activated two months after the Bilsdale mast caught fire, will restore service for 95% of viewers, operator Arqiva said.

However, 5% of customers will still be affected and the firm said details would be released shortly on how their channels will be restored.

The switch on means viewers will need to retune TVs after 17:00 on Wednesday.

The mast will serve homes in Teesside, County Durham and North Yorkshire and restore services to about 600,000 households affected.

However, work to examine how the new transmitter, also at Bilsdale, will affect parts of the protected North York Moors is likely to continue for years.

A report conducted on behalf of Arqiva said it had "potential for damage and therefore loss of extent of qualifying natural habitat".

Mast owner Arqiva said it had "taken great care to protect and prioritise" the moorland.

The 1,030ft-high (314m) fire-hit mast was felled in a controlled demolition last week because it was irreparably damaged.

Arqiva has set up a website advising those affected of what action they should take.

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