THE man who designed the Bilsdale TV mast spoke on Radio 2 this afternoon and didn’t know the mast was on fire but was made aware of it live on air.

During his presentation on BBC Radio 2, Jeremy Vine got into contact with the son of the man who designed the mast whilst on air.

Alex from Warwickshire said his father was the chief designer of the Bilsdale mast.

READ MORE: Process started to “gradually restore services” after Bilsdale TV mast fire

Soon after, they managed to get hold of Alex’s father and chief designer and spoke to him about the mast.

The chief designer, who is 94 according to his son Alex, speaking on BBC Radio 2 said: “Oh it’s nice to know it’s still standing.

Jeremy Vine then tells the designer the mast has been on fire, to which he replies: “Oh, so it has burnt down?”

Mr Vine said: “It has not burnt down completely, it has had a fire and the fire has been put out and I think it is under control, it’s coming back into action.”

The designer added: “I am very proud of it, it is a very nice structure, very unusual structure and a quite tall structure as well.

READ MORE: When could my TV signal return after the Bilsdale TV mast fire? The latest

“It’s over 1,000 feet tall. There are two ways of getting to the top of it, you can be either lifted up to the very top or else you climb.

“But it all depends on what you do, whether you do some repairs on the way, or whether you simply want to go to the top and have a look around to see what the world looks like.

“It’s nice to know that it’s still standing.”

Black smoke could be seen billowing out from the site yesterday afternoon as North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene.

The TV mast is primarily used for radio and television transmission and is among the most powerful in the UK.

In a recent update from Arqiva a spokesperson said: "Following the incident at Bilsdale yesterday (10/08/21) our teams continue to work with the emergency services to ensure the safety of the site.

READ MORE: Bilsdale mast fire latest: Up to a million still without TV and radio

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.

We will continue to share updates as we have them”.

You can hear more on the BBC Sounds website.

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