An 85-year-old man has been left waiting for a refund on his TV licence after going without signal for six weeks due to the Bilsdale mast fire.

Gordon Hepworth lives alone in Hampsthwaite. His daughter, Tracey Hepworth, said living alone and being hard of hearing has left him isolated, especially during the pandemic.

When the Bilsdale mast caught fire in August Mr Hepworth lost TV signal for six weeks and was without subtitles for a further two.

She said watching TV in the evening was “company” for him and losing that for six weeks was difficult.

Tracey Hepworth said:

“In the evening, when he can’t go out in the dark, the TV is his company. He can’t listen to the radio without having it on incredibly loud and disrupting the neighbours so he’s very reliant on the TV.”

Ms Hepworth said TV Licensing initially told residents those who had been without signal for one month were eligible for a refund but later read this was increased to two months.

Ms Hepworth said this was “very, very naughty” because a temporary mast was installed six weeks after the fire in August meaning most people’s TVs worked again.

“I feel really sorry for people who went without for six weeks and now they’re getting nothing back.

“My dad was also late paying one month and he was sent a letter threatening to take him to court even though he was without for six weeks and still paid, it’s really unfair.”

She said she’d applied for a refund on September 10 and was yet to get a response despite making several attempts.

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TV Licensing insisted there was no change to the guidance and anyone without signal for a month or more could still apply for a refund. A spokesperson said:

“We continue to assist customers to claim refunds or licence extensions, and around 9,000 households have already done so. If a household has been unable to receive TV coverage for a month or more, and are also unable to view BBC programming through BBC iPlayer, and satellite and cable platforms, they will be able to claim a refund.”