Bilsdale transmitter fire: TV and radio for 1m off air indefinitely - BBC News

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TV and radio services for more than a million people will remain off air indefinitely after a transmitter fire.

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

Operator Arqiva said it would bring in temporary equipment but could not say when services would be restored.

Witness Ron Needham, 71, reported seeing "a huge black cloud of smoke come from the buildings at the bottom".

He had been hiking on the North York Moors with his wife Sue, 69, when they stopped for lunch at the base of the mast.

They noticed "nothing untoward" but after continuing for about a mile and a half noticed smoke coming from the top "like a chimney", Mr Needham said.

Despite the loss of transmission from the tower, BBC television remains available on iPlayer.

Radio stations can still be listened to on BBC Sounds.

Firefighters were sent to the site at 13:19 BST on Tuesday after a call from an engineer working on the transmitter near Helmsley.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said there were "concerns about the structural integrity of the mast" and a 300m (980ft) exclusion zone was in place around it.

Arqiva confirmed that no-one was injured by the fire and thanked emergency services "for their swift action".

"We have started the process to gradually restore services using a combination of temporary structures and existing infrastructure elsewhere in the region, and will be moving through this process as quickly and safely as possible," a spokesperson said.

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

People have contacted the BBC about how the loss of transmission has affected them, with one viewer saying they were "stuck at home with severe disabilities".

"I really relied on this, [there's] only so many books I can read in a day, which I can't hold for long," they said.

Another viewer in North Yorkshire told how their 86-year-old neighbour lived alone and had no broadband.

They said they fitted a wi-fi extender to their internet and gave her their Amazon Firestick so she was able to watch television.

"She's ok now, but many elderly people don't have people to help," they said.

The services affected include:

Channels on the PSB1, 2, 3, COM4, 5, 6, 7 and LTV television multiplexes
BBC Radio Tees, BBC Radios 1-4 and BBC DAB
Commercial radio stations SDL, North Yorkshire DAB, BAUER Teesside, Digital 1, TFM, Capital, Heart and Classic FM

Sky, Freesat and cable services are not affected.

Coverage of BBC Radio Tees on DAB is reduced but some reception should continue for most listeners and there is no need to re-tune.

BBC Radio York uses Bilsdale to relay its signal and bypassing the mast is resulting in a weaker service.

Listeners to the BBC's national radio services on FM should attempt to re-tune to a neighbouring transmitter, ensuring aerials are fully extended and placed near windows.