{"id":137733,"date":"2021-09-03T18:26:59","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T18:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=137733"},"modified":"2021-09-03T18:26:59","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T18:26:59","slug":"thousands-of-brits-face-christmas-without-tv-after-fire-wrecks-mast-and-its-replacement-wont-work-in-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/world-news\/thousands-of-brits-face-christmas-without-tv-after-fire-wrecks-mast-and-its-replacement-wont-work-in-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands of Brits face Christmas without TV after fire wrecks mast and its replacement WON'T work in winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

THOUSANDS of Brits are facing a Christmas without any TV after a replacement for a mast destroyed by a blaze won\u2019t work in the winter.<\/p>\n

The temporary replacement for the fire-damaged Arqiva mast in Bilsdale, North Yorkshire, will not be fully functional.<\/p>\n


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A million people across Teeside, North Yorkshire and County Durham were affected by the huge blast.<\/p>\n

The majority of homes have had services restored, but a meeting of the North York Moors National Park Authority heard that construction of a fully functioning mast has yet to begin.<\/p>\n

It also stated that the repairs would take a month alone to complete, with the worst affected households to be given a partial refund of their TV license.<\/p>\n

There is also an onlgoing legal battle with the landowners of the proposed site to gain access, which has delayed proceedings.<\/p>\n

Members of the NPA were informed that thousands of people have been left with no TV signal, and those in Bilsdale have had a reduces mobile phone signal since the fire.<\/p>\n

The authority's director of planning Chris France said emergency national planning regulations allowed replacement masts as long as they were movable without the need to go through the planning process.<\/p>\n

Arqiva has proposed to put it on sleds, weighed down by large blocks of concrete flown there by helicopters.<\/p>\n

However it is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and has been classified as a European Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation.<\/p>\n

This means that they may also need to install additional screening, for which a consultation would be needed which could take a further month.<\/p>\n

Mr France added that the temporary mast would not be permanently tied down and therefore it would not be suitable over the winter at such a height and exposed location and after three months.<\/p>\n

Arqiva had indicated "another replacement mast" may be required which they said would be subject to full planning permission.<\/p>\n

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, and that the legal case is "taking longer than anticipated".<\/p>\n

Customers will be able to request an extension to their licence through the TV Licensing website, or via calling TV Licensing call centre on 0300 790 6096 after 10 September.<\/p>\n


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