AN UPDATE has been provided for households still affected by a lack of signal after the Bilsdale Mast fire. 

Telecommunications company Arqiva said additional relay transmitters are back on air, and a new freephone number for Freeview is now available.

Services have now been restored in Rookhope, Castleton and Bainbridge after engineering work today.

A statement read: "This week has seen the successful restoration of more Freeview television services for those who receive signals from Arncliffe Wood, which mostly serves the Darlington area. 

"Additionally, we have also restored services from a number of relay sites. These are: Rookhope; Castleton; and Bainbridge.

READ MORE: Bilsdale transmitter: Pressure mounts on BBC to issue full licence fee refunds

"Working with our partners we are continuing our efforts to enable access to the Bilsdale site in order to build a temporary mast as quickly as possible.

"We remain absolutely committed to restoring services to our customers as soon as we can, and to working with our partners across the region in order to do so. We apologise for the fact that services have not been restored as quickly as we had hoped, and we will provide a further update in due course."

The Northern Echo:

Residents across swathes of North Yorkshire could be facing a minimum of two more months without a television signal, it has emerged.

The delay is due to the construction time in erecting a replacement mast and because of the need to follow international regulations protecting the sensitive moorland.

READ MORE: Bilsdale transmitter problems: Residents could face TWO MONTHS with no TV signal

A Freeview spokesperson said: "If you are served by the Rookhope, Castleton or Bainbridge relay transmitters, you should now see your signal restored following engineering work today.

"If you’re in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Stockton, Darlington, Barnard Castle, Richmond, Leyburn, Catterick, Masham or Ripon, you may be able to receive more channels following engineering work at the temporary transmitters serving your areas.

"You may need to retune your TV set to ensure your channel list is up to date. For more information as well as advice on how to retune, head to www.freeview.co.uk/bilsdale

"While engineering work continues to improve the coverage options, we have also set up a devoted freephone number 0800 121 4828, which will take callers through the latest news and viewing options available to them.

"The freephone is a recorded update aimed at making sure that viewers who don’t have access to the internet can easily check if there are any updates for their area, whenever they need to. Alongside this, our adviceline is still available on weekdays for anyone who can’t get online and who needs more detailed help.

"With some homes still without service, we want to thank viewers who live in the local area for looking out for those who may still be isolated from their usual source of information and companionship, and for continuing to help us to keep these viewers informed."

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