Bilsdale: Customers in 'not spot' areas offered £50 voucher for streaming services

People in the region who are still without TV service or a poor signal - caused by the Bilsdale transmitter fire - will be offered a voucher to buy TV streaming devices.

Customers in "not spot" areas will be offered the £50 Currys voucher from Arqiva, the company which operates Bilsdale Mast in North Yorkshire.

The scheme is the latest step in "Project Restore", designed to help those affected following the fire in August.

  • Watch the 314m damaged mast felled in a controlled demolition on 6 October

Last week, a temporary 80-metre mast was switched on, restoring TV services to approximately 95% of households across the North East and North Yorkshire. Following testing of the signal from the temporary mast using helicopter, Arqiva says they "now believe around 16,000 homes" are still badly affected.

The voucher offered by Arqiva can be spent in store or online - on an alternative fix to receive free-to-air TV such as BBC or ITV. People can choose from a range of TV streaming devices, such as the Roku Express HD Streaming Media Player or the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite.

Letters containing instructions on how to claim the Currys voucher are being sent out to customers in the coming days, according to Arqiva. Residents will then need to enter their names, addresses and a unique voucher claim code. Any funds left over from the voucher after buying a TV streaming device can be used by the householder.

As these devices require WiFi and broadband they will not provide a solution for everyone affected in the specific areas receiving the letters. If that is the case, then householders can call Arqiva on 0800 121 4828.