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.

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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:

  1. Retune your TV. For most TVs you can press ‘OK’ or retune when prompted
  2. If your TV doesn’t automatically retune, or if you find retuning difficult, click here or call 0800 121 4828
  3. If, after a retune, you are still missing channels, then please call the helpline number above
Bilsdale: £50 vouchers for 16,000 homes still without TV

A voucher scheme has been launched to help people still without TV signal following the fire at the Bilsdale mast in August.

A new, temporary mast was put up last week but the company responsible, Arqiva, has said 16,000 homes are still in “not-spots” with poor or no TV signal.

The company said it had sent letters to those affected offering £50 Currys vouchers to buy TV streaming devices, such as the Roku Express HD Streaming Media Player or the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite.

This would enable them to receive channels like BBC and ITV once again.

These types of devices require Wifi and broadband so may not be suitable for everyone. Arqiva has asked householders not suited to these devices to call on 0800 121 4828 to discuss other options.

The scheme is part of Project Restore set up by Arqiva to help those affected by the loss of TV signal.

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Shuja Khan, chief commercial officer at Arqiva, said:

“Although the temporary mast at Bilsdale has restored TV services to the large majority of households in the region, we know there are still those either with no or partial signal.

“We continue to work round the clock to fill the gaps in coverage with additional towers.”

The Bilsdale transmitter caught fire in August. A temporary mast, which was switched on last week, restored signal to 95% of homes across North Yorkshire and the north-east, according to Arqiva.

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.”

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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: 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.

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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.

TV signal in Harrogate district could return early October

TV signal could return by next month as works on the Bilsdale replacement mast are set to be complete by October 5, says telecommunications company Arqiva.

The temporary mast is replacing the Bilsdale mast after it was damaged in a fire in August.

Since then residents across the Harrogate district have been without TV signal or had a reduced channel list. Some have also experienced channels come and go.

But now Arqiva has told residents the temporary mast should be complete by October 5, three weeks after work began.

The temporary mast will be 80 metres high and provides Freeview TV signals to 90% of homes which were covered the Bilsdale mast. It has been built in a quarry near to the original mast.

Adrian Twyning, chief of operations at Arqiva, said:

“Our team is working tirelessly to deliver our recovery plan at Bilsdale, and to date we have been able to return a signal to upwards of 500,000 households using existing and temporary infrastructure around the area usually served by the Bilsdale mast.

“Due to the nature of the site, the build is heavily reliant on helicopter operations and working at height, which makes it weather dependent, but is expected to take 21 days to complete.”

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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.”

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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 transmitter replacement ‘could take months’

Harrogate district residents may have to wait another two months for their TV signal to return, it emerged yesterday.

It was initially thought that an 80m temporary transmitter, being built to replace the Bilsdale transmitter damaged by fire on August 10, would take just three weeks to complete.

But a meeting of the North York Moors National Park Authority heard its construction was some way from starting and would take a month alone.

The need to follow international regulations to protect the sensitive moorland around the mast has also caused delays.

Members were told many people living in the north-east, including North Yorkshire, still had no signal and that escalating frustrations over that had been exacerbated in the Bilsdale area by the lack of a mobile phone signal as a result of the fire.

The authority pledged to do everything in its power to accelerate the erection of the temporary mast, including delegating any necessary decision-making powers to the most senior officers to bypass committee meetings.

However, the meeting heard Arqiva had been concentrating its efforts with the landowners, Mexborough Estate, to overcome access issues and had not contacted the national park authority until several weeks after the fire.

Exclusion zone

Chris France, the authority’s director of planning, said that as far as he was aware the 309-metre guyed mast structure, which was constructed in 1969, appeared to be beyond repair with “a huge bulge in it”, leaving it so insecure a 400-metre exclusion zone had been created around it.

Arqiva is targeting using a disused quarry on the moor to the south of the exclusion zone for an emergency mast because that would have least impact on the biodiversity.

Mr France said that emergency national planning regulations allowed replacement masts as long as they were movable without the need to go through the planning process.

Arqiva has proposed to put it on sleds, weighed down by large blocks of concrete flown there by helicopters. The structure would then be secured by guys attached to the surrounding heather moorland.

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The site has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and classified as a European Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation since the mast was built so Arqiva consultants have asked whether it is necessary to screen the development for environmental and habitat impacts.

Mr France said if screening processes were deemed necessary the timescale for any consultation may take a further month.

A temporary mast would not be permanently tied down and may not last in winter conditions. Arqiuva has indicated after three months “another replacement replacement mast” may be required which it said would be subject to full planning permission.

‘Taking longer than we anticipated’

The meeting heard a second complication was that the mast had mobile phone equipment on it and people living and working in the area had been left with no signal. Members were told mobile phone operators were now searching for places to put a mast up.

A spokesman for Arqiva said as Bilsdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest to replicate what is there would not be a simple task. He added:

“The legal process to secure appropriate access to the site to build the temporary mast is taking longer than we initially anticipated and as a result it will not be operational by this weekend as we’d hoped.

“We are making representations to the court as to the severity and the urgency of the situation, but we are in the hands of the judicial system currently.”

 

 

‘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.

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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.”

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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.

Bilsdale fire: Harrogate district homes face indefinite TV problems

Many homes in the Harrogate district are still without a TV signal following yesterday’s Bilsdale transmitter fire.

Freeview TV and FM radio signals in about one million homes in North Yorkshire, Teesside and County Durham were affected and almost 24 hours on it is still not known when the situation will be resolved.

Eight fire crews tackled the blaze at the 315-metre mast near Helmsley yesterday afternoon.

Stray Ferret readers quickly got in touch to report the issue had affected television coverage in the Bilton area of Harrogate as well as in the north of the Harrogate district.

Communications company Arqiva, which operates the transmitter, tweeted today it was still assessing the extent of the damage:

“The fire at our Bilsdale mast site is under control and we can confirm that there were no injuries or casualties. TV and radio services remain off air from the site.

“Our teams are currently mobilising temporary equipment to site however we are unable to provide specific timelines for restoration of any services at this point.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has said it will return to the site today to bring the incident to a “safe conclusion”.

A 300m exclusion zone was put in place around the mast and concerns about its structural integrity were reported.

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