New Bilsdale mast delay to last up to a fortnight and will not achieve full signal coverage

The long-awaited 'switch on' of the Bilsdale mast will be delayed by at least a week due to bad weather, operator Arqiva has announced.

Thousands of homes in the North East and North Yorkshire have been without any signal since early August, when the old mast was hit by a blaze.

Around 85,000 homes across the region are still without TV and radio signal. Even once the new mast is operational, an estimated 45,000 are expected to lack coverage.

By November, Arqiva say this number will be brought down to 9,000.

  • David Bishop was among those left without signal. He said it has left him feeling cut off and uncared for.

Signal was scheduled to be restored on 5 October, but Arqiva are now saying the switch on will take place between 13 and 19 October - at least a week later.

The company say "high winds, low cloud and heavy rain" are responsible.

Bilsdale mast fire: The story so far

  • 10 August 10: The Bilsdale mast, in the North Yorkshire Moors, catches fire. At least 500,000 homes affected.

  • 11 August - 20 August: Signal restored for 400,000 households via smaller mast installations and new transmitters.

  • 28 August: Customers worst affected offered TV licence refunds.

  • 3 September: Helpline launched to help those without signal.

  • 24 August: Delays announced to temporary mast construction due to land access issues.

  • 8 September: Arqiva chief exeutive Paul Donovan issues "unreserved apology" for the delays and continued lack of signal for roughly 100,000 homes.

About 100 people began construction of the new 262ft (80m)-high temporary replacement mast on Monday (13 September).

Helicopters have been used to airlift in building materials such as large concrete blocks.

An Arqiva spokesperson explained the delays: "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.

"Power lines and feeder cables to the antenna must be installed, and equipment has to be kept dry as it is fitted together to ensure safety.

"As the safety of our staff is the most important factor, the weather has unfortunately forced a delay.

"Our aim is to complete all work, carry out the required checks and tests, and switch on the temporary mast to restore TV services for thousands more people in the period of October 13th to the 19th – again, dependent on the weather. We will provide more details in a media briefing in North Yorkshire on Monday."

Adrian Twyning, Arqiva’s Chief of Operations, has again apologised to those affected.

“The team have been working tirelessly since we broke ground to meet the go-live date of 5th October," he said.

"Unfortunately the one thing we cannot control is the weather and that has turned this week. 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."

Bilsdale signal advice

Freeview have suggested that those still without signal take the following steps:

  • "We advise all viewers who are struggling to pick up a signal on their TV to try an automatic retune (even if this has happened recently). You can learn how to do this with our retune videos.  Area-specific information is below.

Bilsdale advice if you live...

South of Bilsdale (including in and around northern parts of York, Harrogate, Pickering, Ripon and Masham)

You may receive some channels from the new transmitter at Sutton Bank.  If you haven’t retuned since the fire, you may see some channels restored automatically.  If you don’t see any channels, please try an automatic retune. 

If you retuned before 7th September and you have intermittent reception, we recommend you carry out another automatic retune as the signal from Sutton Bank may well be stronger. 

If an automatic retune does not restore any channels unfortunately it is unlikely that you will be able to receive a signal until further transmitter work is completed. 

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North-west of Bilsdale (including in and around Darlington, Barnard Castle, Richmond, Catterick and Leyburn)

If you do not have any channels, we recommend you carry out an automatic retune.

Some viewers who retuned since the fire and had some channel restored may find that they have recently lost them.  If this is the case, please carry out another automatic retune.

If an automatic retune does not restore any channels unfortunately it is unlikely that you will be able to receive a signal until further transmitter work is completed. 

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North of Bilsdale (including in and around Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar, and Stockton)

If you do not have any channels, we recommend you carry out an automatic retune. 

On 2nd September, more channels were restored to some viewers in these areas. Coverage is limited but if you’ve not retuned since 2nd September, we recommend that you do so to ensure that you have as many channels available to you as possible. 

If an automatic retune does not restore any channels unfortunately it is unlikely that you will be able to receive a signal until further transmitter work is completed. 

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If you take your signal from any of Bilsdale’s relays (see list below)

  • Whitby, Bainbridge, Grinton Lodge, Guisborough, Ravenscar, Limber Hill, Skinningrove, Romaldkirk, West Burton, Aislaby, Castleton, Rookhope, Rosedale Abbey  ane Peterlee 

  • You should have seen channels restored. If you haven’t please run an automatic retune.   

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  • "If an automatic retune does not restore any channels - irrespective of whether you live in the areas mentioned above - unfortunately it is unlikely that you will be able to receive a signal until further transmitter work is completed."

What should I do if I can’t get Freeview reception and don’t want to wait for the Bilsdale temporary transmitter?

1. Find out whether repositioning your aerial could restore some channels 

Repositioning your aerial so that it takes a signal from a different transmitter may be an option for some viewers who wish to attempt to get some signal back in the short term. However, there's no guarantee that another transmitter is available (reception is highly dependent on several factors such as local geography between you and the transmitter), and the signal quality might be variable..

If you choose to have your aerial repositioned - which should only be carried out by a professional and experienced installer - you may wish to then have it repositioned again when service from Bilsdale is restored. Please do not attempt this yourself. Look for a local accredited installer at:

2. Stay watching TV for free with Freesat 

If you have an existing satellite dish at your home, or wish to get one installed, see Freesat’s guide to switching to see whether watching free TV through them might be for you.