Arqiva Archives - The Stray Ferret

Bilsdale mast ‘on track to be completed this year’

A new 314-metre mast at Bilsdale remains on track to be completed by the end of the year, the company behind the plan has said.

Arqiva chief executive Paul Donovan said the firm was striving to halve the time normally taken to replace such a towering structure on one of the country’s most environmentally sensitive sites at Bilsdale on the North York Moors.

The mast provides television and radio coverage to areas in the Harrogate district, such as Ripon.

Mr Donovan was speaking at North Yorkshire-based firm Severfield’s expansive plant at Dalton Airfield Industrial Estate, near Thirsk, as it was announced the steel firm had won the contract, thought to be worth tens of millions of pounds, to fabricate the 200-tonne structure.

Arqiva is expecting the final of five investigations, from the firm’s insurance company, into the cause of the fire which destroyed the previous mast in August last year to be completed in the next two weeks.

Mr Donovan said:

“That I’m sure will be of great interest to everybody. It’s been a source of frustration for us that it has taken so long, but we had to have due process around something as significant as this.”

Severfield, which has previously worked on large-scale projects such as the London Olympic Stadium and the London Shard, said it had been handed “tight timescales” to produce the structure in order that viewers across Yorkshire and the North-East get a full restoration of signals as soon as possible.

The coming months will see the steel fabricated by Severfield, before going away to galvanised and being turned into flat pack-style units and taken to Bilsdale for it to be reassembled in a modular way.

Mr Donovan said:

“I’m very satisfied with the progress we are making on what will ultimately be one of Britain’s top 10 tallest structures at 314m-high, weighing 200 tonnes with lots of very complex electronics and other equipment which needs to be installed upon it.

“At the moment it is on track, but as with all things it is weather dependent, as you can only work at height when the wind is below a certain velocity, so we’re hoping for a good summer.

“Everybody has really pulled the stops out to ensure their normal delivery timeframes get shrunk without any compromise to quality. We all realise the importance to people of getting this project finished so we can have service fully restored to what it was before.”

Different design

When asked if the new structure had been designed to avert a repeat of the catastrophic incident which irreversibly damaged the previous mast, Mr Donovan replied:

“It’s too early to be definitive about that, but if you look at this structure it’s a fundamentally different design.

“The previous mast was a cylindrical structure, but the new mast will be a lattice-based structure which actually has some benefits in its ability to tolerate wind, but also if there were any fire on a lattice-based structure it is potentially less vulnerable to the kind of catastrophic outcomes we saw before.

“The previous tower was 50 years old and technology, construction and aerodynamics have all moved forward tremendously during that time.”

Over the coming months the firm will have to report to both Ofcom and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport about its overall response.

Mr Donovan said:

“We have responded many ways in an exemplary way, going way beyond the contractual requirements we have with our customers.

“In terms of processes there are things which we now know we would do better, but there isn’t anything I have seen so far that would have prevented what happened.”

New Bilsdale mast: some Harrogate district homes may have to retune TVs

Some people in the Harrogate district may have to retune their TVs again after another interim mast at Bilsdale was activated.

Fire wrecked the original mast six months ago, causing loss of service to 500,000 homes in Yorkshire and the north-east. Many people in the Harrogate district were affected, particularly around Ripon.

Yesterday, a second temporary mast was switched on. Arqiva, which owns the mast, said the new 80-metre mast will improve the TV signal and be more robust in bad weather.

Paul Donovan, chief executive of Arqiva, said:

“The switchover to this new mast is another important step in the huge project to restore full TV services to people across the region. Our teams have worked extremely hard in challenging conditions to complete it.

“We’re sorry for the disruption which the fire has caused, and we remain fully committed to providing help and advice to those who are affected, and especially the most vulnerable members of our communities.”

Planning permission has been approved for a new 300-metre mast at Bilsdale, which will replace the original one lost in the fire.

Mr Donovan said work on the new mast should be complete by the end of spring 2023.

Last summer’s fire left some homes without a signal for weeks. In October the first temporary mast was erected.

How to retune

Arqiva said homes likely to have been affected by yesterday’s switchover are those relying on Freeview services. It added it had contacted residents with instructions on how to retune their TVs.

If you notice a change in your TV reception, Arqiva recommends the following:

Retune your TV. For most TVs you can press ‘OK’ or retune when prompted
If your TV doesn’t automatically retune, or if you find retuning difficult, click here or call 0800 121 4828
If, after a retune, you are still missing channels, then please call the helpline number above

Bad weather means Bilsdale mast won’t be switched on tomorrow

Some Harrogate district residents face another two weeks without TV due to bad weather delaying the switch on of the temporary Bilsdale mast.

The mast was scheduled to be switched on tomorrow, restoring signal to 90% of homes affected by a fire at the original mast on August 10.

But Arqiva, which owns the mast, has now said there will be up to a fortnight’s delay.

In its latest update, the company said the temporary mast had been built but it would not be turned until between October 13 to 19.

It said high winds, low cloud and heavy rain on moorland where the aerial is situated meant the workers couldn’t climb the 80m structure or keep equipment dry. It said in a statement:

“The final installation work, checks and tests require good visibility and line of sight from the ground, while rain and winds above 20mph make it dangerous for workers to climb to heights and to lift equipment into place.”

Adrian Twyning, Arqiva’s chief of operations, said:

“I want to apologise to those people who were really hoping for their services to be restored after a long wait this week. We had worked hard for that too, and this is immensely frustrating.

“The wind, cloud and rain has a heavy impact on how we can work at height, and safety is our absolute priority. We will continue to work flat out to restore services to the people who deserve them, and we will provide a further update as soon as we can.”

The company has said it is working with local authorities, housing associations and charities to support and help those who will still not receive a service as a result of the switch on of the temporary mast.

A website is said to be set up, called Project Restore, to focus on the over 65s, and clinically vulnerable and vulnerable people affected.

Bilsdale: charity given £50,000 to help vulnerable get TV signal

A charity which covers the Harrogate district is set to receive £50,000 to support people as television coverage is restored following the Bilsdale fire.

The transmitter has been out of service since August and left thousands in the district without television and radio signal.

Next week, an 80-metre temporary mast is set to be built which Arqiva, operator of Bilsdale, promises will restore 95% of coverage.

Ahead of the restoration, Paul Donovan, chief executive of the company, has announced Two Ridings Community Foundation will receive £50,000 to help support the over-65s and vulnerable people with their televisions after the swtich-on.

It will also be used to “support work on digital inclusion and social isolation”. County Durham Community Foundation has been allocated the same amount of funding.

Mr Donovan said:

“It was extremely helpful to have the support and input of our partners and stakeholders across the area as we work to fix this together.

“Arqiva is absolutely committed to restoring services to those who are affected as quickly as possible, and to supporting the most vulnerable people as a priority.”

As part of the restoration on October 5, Arqiva will also have a helpline staffed by 75 people to help those who may still be without coverage despite the temporary mast being in place.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, held a call with the company yesterday to hear an update on the transmitter.

He said on a local conservative run website:

“It is important that work proceeds on the temporary mast at pace as I know that several vulnerable constituents are without their main source of companionship and information.”

Last week, Arqiva confirmed the first of more than 200 air lifts of materials to the site of the 80-metre temporary transmitter had taken place.

It said 100 staff are currently on the Bilsdale moor site as part of the project.

However, Arqiva bosses warned that television services will be disrupted the day before the transmitter is switched on due to checks on the mast.

Bilsdale: more disruption before TV signal returns on October 5

Bilsdale mast owner Arqiva has warned of further disruption to TVs on October 4 before signals return to 90 per cent of households the following day.

In an update today, Arqiva said the first of over 200 air lifts of materials to the site of the 80-metre temporary transmitter had taken place, including huge concrete blocks to anchor it down.

But it added that other temporary sites that have restored signals to some areas would need to be switched off to test the transmitter.

Adrian Twyning, chief of 0perations at Arqiva, said:

“This is a huge logistical effort involving over 100 people and, subject to bad weather or any other unforeseen difficulties, we are making good progress towards completing the works on Tuesday 5th October.

“The 80m temporary mast more closely matches the coverage pattern of the existing mast than the temporary sites we have built at Eston Nab, Arncliffe Wood and Sutton Bank.

“Properly checking the 80m temporary mast requires us to turn off those other temporary sites for a period the day before, Monday 4th October. That means some households will see disruption to their service on that day, for which we apologise in advance.”

Some homes will have been without TV for almost two months by October 5.

The fire at the Bilsdale transmitter near Helmsley on August 10 caused about 500,000 homes in the north-east, including many in the Harrogate district, to lose their TV and radio signal.

People without Freeview TV coverage for more than a month can apply for a partial refund or an extension to their TV licence.

But applications are only valid if you have been unable to access BBC iPlayer or any live TV in any other way, including via cable, satellite and online streaming services.

Thousands still without TV signal, says local electrical firm

Thousands of people in the Harrogate district are still without TV coverage after the Bilsdale transmitter fire, says the owner of a local electrical firm.

Stephen Craggs, managing director of G Craggs Ltd, which has stores in Ripon and Boroughbridge, told the Stray Ferret he was still receiving calls from people unable to get channels on their televisions.

Arqiva, the company which owns the transmitter, said this week its temporary mast at Sutton Bank had restored coverage to many areas, such as Masham and Ripon.

But, Mr Cragg said that was not what customers were telling him.

He said:

“We’re still getting phone calls every two minutes saying ‘I thought the transmitter was fixed?’”

Mr Cragg said the majority of people calling him were elderly who relied on television as a means of company.

G Craggs in Boroughbridge

He added that some did not own tablets and had no catch-up television.

Following the temporary transmitter being built, a number of district residents told the Stray Ferret that retuning their TVs had brought back some channels but not all.

We are continuing to receive messages from readers saying they are without services. One woman in Ripon told us she would be happy to receive just one channel showing back-to-back repeats of Crossroads.

Many people have been unable to watch TV since the Bilsdale mast caught fire a month ago today.

Mr Cragg criticised Arqiva for appearing to have “no strategy” for dealing with the situation and described the past month as a “fiasco”.

“There is no back-up plan. They are just on one crisis to another.

“Meanwhile, there are thousands of people without TV. Not everybody has a smart TV or tablet.”

In the company’s latest update, Paul Donovan, chief executive of Arqiva, said on Wednesday:

“This morning Freeview television services were restored for over 100,000 more homes in the region.

“However, this is a complex task and there is clearly a lot more to do, so we are working with our partners as quickly and safely as possible. I would like to extend a special thank you to all those people who have been supporting friends and neighbours who may not have access to the internet or other sources of information and entertainment. We will prioritise the most vulnerable people affected.”

Bilsdale fire: channels restored to Harrogate district — but problems remain

The company that owns the Bilsdale mast has said TV signals have been restored to people in the Harrogate district — but some residents have told the Stray Ferret they are still missing some channels.

Arqiva said yesterday it had put up a temporary mast at Sutton Bank in Hambleton and it was providing Freeview TV signals to around 100,000 households — including some in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Masham.

But a number of district residents told the Stray Ferret this morning that retuning their TVs had brought back some channels but not all.

Many people have been unable to watch TV since the Bilsdale mast caught fire nearly a month ago.

Siobhan McKenna, from Harrogate, said:

“I retune every day and have received some more channels back ITV comes on but every now and them pixels appear. At this point I will put up with that.”

Paul Donovan, chief executive of Arqiva, has said television signals should be restored in a little over three weeks, said yesterday:

“This morning Freeview television services were restored for over 100,000 more homes in the region.

“However, this is a complex task and there is clearly a lot more to do, so we are working with our partners as quickly and safely as possible. I would like to extend a special thank you to all those people who have been supporting friends and neighbours who may not have access to the internet or other sources of information and entertainment. We will prioritise the most vulnerable people affected.”

A spokesperson from Freeview said:

“The new Sutton Bank transmitter serves households across North York, Harrogate, Pickering, Ripon, Masham, and Leyburn.

“If you are in one of these areas please try retuning your TV to make sure your channel list is up to date.

“If you know anyone that might be affected but doesn’t have internet, we also have an automated freephone number, on 0800 121 4828, which will take callers through all the latest news and the viewing options available to them.”

Temporary Bilsdale mast should be in place in three weeks, says transmitter boss

Television signals should be restored in a little over three weeks to 90 per cent of residents across the north hit by the Bilsdale transmitter fire, the boss of the firm which owns the mast has claimed.

Arqiva chief executive Paul Donovan said he was optimistic that European environmental regulations over the protected site would be overcome imminently and the firm was ready and eager to install a temporary 80m mast in a disused quarry on the North York Moors.

The loss of coverage has affected parts of the Harrogate district, including Masham and Ripon.

After almost a month of escalating anger over the length of time it has taken to restore television signals to the BBC North East and Cumbria area, Mr Donovan issued an unreserved apology to the hundreds of thousands of residents that have been denied services since a fire wrecked the 306-metre structure on August 10.

The cause of the fire, which started between 25m and 50m up the mast, is being investigated by forensic consultants employed by the firm. The firm has ruled out arson.

He said:

“I know it seems like four weeks is a long time since the fire, but we have been working 24/7 to make sure we deliver those technical solutions as fast as we possibly can.”

Mr Donovan, whose firm delivers television services to 17 million homes, said he appreciated the lives of elderly people had been severely impacted, as his customers on average watched television for 240 minutes a day.

He was speaking to the media on the edge of an exclusion zone surrounding the damaged transmitter, just days after the national park authority raised concerns over the speed that Arqiva was working to install an 80m temporary mast at the site.

Brushing aside suggestions from the North York Moors National Park authority that Arqiva had “lost several weeks” due to inaction and focusing on access issues at the site, Mr Donovan said his firm prided itself on “providing super reliable services”.

He said:

“When was the last time you switched on your TV and wondered whether it would work or not? This is a very unusual and irregular event for us that has very significant impact and we would like to apologise for that.”

“Working tirelessly” to restore coverage

Mr Donovan said Arqiva had been working tirelessly to restore services and by introducing temporary sites, such as a new one at Sutton Bank, near Thirsk, bringing signals back to a total of 500,000 homes.

He added:

“We are very close, in fact I use the word imminent, to gaining full planning approval for a temporary 80m mast in a disused quarry.”

He said following legal concerns with landlords Mexborough Estate over access to the site a fleet of helicopters had been booked to do more than 100 trips to the remote moorland site, bringing up hundreds of tonnes of concrete and construction materials.

Mr Donovan said:

“As soon as we have planning permission and we are really ready to go for this it will take around 21 days for that to be in place.”

He said Arqiva would work to mitigate the impact on remaining 10 per cent of homes which did not get their signal restored with the temporary mast by tuning the network and looking at additional infill sites for temporary coverage.

He added:

“However, there will be areas, a little bit like a mobile phone network, which have some not-spots.”

Mr Donovan said the firm had opened talks with North Yorkshire County Council and charitable organisations about what it can do to help the most vulnerable people in those not-spots.

‘Why is it taking so long?’: Harrogate residents anger over ongoing TV blackout

Harrogate district residents are becoming increasingly angry about the amount of time it is taking to restore their TV and radio signals.

More than three weeks have passed since the Bilsdale transmitter near Helmsley caught fire, causing about 500,000 homes in the north-east, including many in the Harrogate district, to lose their TV and radio signal.

Although some channels have returned for some, others are still staring at a black screen.

Frustration is growing at the apparent lack of progress and several people have contacted the Stray Ferret to express their anger.

Terry Sherwood, from Harrogate, is among those still without a TV signal. He said:

“I try twice a day to retune, but I’ve heard from nobody. It’s very boring as my brother has covid and I had to isolate last week. I live on my own in a bedsit and it’s had a big effect on me.

“It’s been frustrating and extremely boring. I resorted to re-reading the few books I had as I couldn’t go to library.”

Some people told the Stray Ferret they were disappointed at not receiving any communication directly from Arqiva, the telecommunications company that manages the mast, or Freeview. They were instead waiting for updates online.

Another district resident, Siobhan Mckenna, said elderly neighbours had come to her for help after first thinking their TVs were broken.

‘Surely a temporary signal could have been provided?’

Some of Ms Mckenna’s channels have returned but these are all BBC and radio. She said:

“I work in a school and I work until 7.30pm so I don’t really watch TV, apart from the news. I really look forward to catching up on certain shows in the summer and now we are back and people are asking ‘did you see this, did you see that?’ I feel out of the loop.

“I also have to keep retuning due to the fact it will freeze during a programme and I refuse to pay the £30 to £50 that others have paid to change their aerial direction.

“I would like to ask the companies, that in this day and age why has it taken so long? Surely a temporary signal could have been provided.”

Arqiva’s latest update on its website six days ago said:

“We continue to work through the process to enable access to the Bilsdale site to build the temporary mast. There is no specific new detail to share at this point but we are continuing to work round the clock to find a way forward.

“Meanwhile, this week has seen the successful restoration of some Freeview television services for those who receive signals from the smaller relay sites in the following areas:

The Stray Ferret asked Arqiva for a further update but did not receive a response.

Bilsdale fire: still no news on when TV signal will be restored

Some people in the Harrogate district are still without a TV signal after Tuesday’s fire at the Bilsdale mast near Helmsley.

The fire left about 500,000 homes in the north east without TV and radio signal.

Some TV channels and BBC Radio Tees channels had been restored to homes last night. However, Arqiva, the communications company that operates the mast said it was still unsure when all channels would return.

A statement sent to the Stray Ferret said:

“The task to reinstate all the services that were available is a complex one and we are working hard to get as many services back up as quickly as we can.

“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.”

A cordon is still in place sealing off land within 300 metres of the mast whilst engineers ensure the tower is structurally secure.

When this is done, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will return to begin the process of investigating the cause of the fire.

The fire service said:

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

Eight fire crews tackled the blaze at the 315-metre mast.

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“Working tirelessly” to restore coverage

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