An update on our efforts to restore services following the incident at the Bilsdale mast15/10/21
Dedicated website now live
We have a dedicated website for updates from Arqiva on the Bilsdale Mast: Project Restore. No further updates will be posted on this site. For the latest information, help and support for people in the Bilsdale Mast transmission area visit BilsdaleMast.co.uk
13/10/21
Temporary mast goes live
A new, 80-metre temporary mast at Bilsdale has been switched on. It will restore TV services to approximately 95% of households across the region. Our engineers have worked around the clock over recent weeks to deliver this as the latest step in restoring services following the fire at Bilsdale in August.
Updated 06/10/21
Fire-damaged Bilsdale Mast safely brought down
Latest step in response to August fire
Safety of on-site staff of primary importance
Video footage available on our YouTube channel
North Yorkshire, UK, 06 October 2021: Arqiva, the company which owns and operates the Bilsdale mast, has confirmed that the 314m structure, which was damaged by a fire on the 10th August resulting in the loss of television and radio services in the area, was safely felled in a controlled demolition earlier today.
Following comprehensive investigations, the 500-tonne structure was considered beyond repair. As a result it was brought down by a specialist team using controlled detonations in order to preserve sections for the continuing forensic investigation into the cause of the fire.
The mast was built in 1969 and has provided TV and radio services to North Yorkshire, the Tees Valley and County Durham ever since.
The direction of dismantling was specifically chosen to minimise the impact on the surrounding environment. Arqiva will also ensure the moorland is restored fully, whilst also taking specific measures to minimise the impact of the clean-up activity.
As the damaged mast was deemed unsafe, an exclusion zone was set up in a two-kilometre circumference around it as part of the dismantling operation. Today's dismantling work was not publicised in advance to ensure safety and minimise the risk to those involved in the dismantling.
A temporary, 80-metre tower close to the original mast is currently nearing completion which will restore TV services to more than 90% of households across the region. Arqiva is also setting up an online hub which will provide up-to-date information on help and support for priority groups affected by the loss of TV services, including how to retune or repoint your TV. It will be found at bilsdalemast.co.uk
Images and video from the demolition operation will be available later today from Recognition PR. This will include an interview with Keith Frost, Director of Operations at Arqiva.
Adrian Twyning, Chief of Operations at Arqiva, commented: Safety is our number one priority and once we had clearance to fell the mast, and identified a suitable weather window, we acted quickly.
The site is on remote moorland, and there is around 2km of perimeter that we have to secure before the mast could be brought down. This mast has been a part of the landscape in this area for decades, and we continue to work hard to restore TV services to those people affected by the fire.
ENDS
Updated 04/10/21
Arqiva Chief Executive updates on temporary mast coverage
Whitby, UK, 04 October 2021: The chief executive of Arqiva, the operator of Bilsdale Mast, today set out more details of which areas across North Yorkshire and the North-East will benefit from a temporary TV mast being switched on, and which places will require further help and support.
Speaking to the media in Whitby, Paul Donovan said that once the temporary mast is switched on later this month it will reveal which addresses still do not receive a signal. Additional, smaller, relay towers will then be built at identified sites to help fill in these so-called not spots of TV coverage.
Mr Donovan showed maps of the estimated not-spots. More than 90% of households will have had their TV services restored following the switch-on, but some coastal and Dales areas in North Yorkshire and County Durham are likely to be amongst the places where services are not restored by the temporary mast and where further measures will be required.
Arqiva announced on Friday that testing and switching on the temporary mast, close to the site of the original Bilsdale Mast, which was damaged by fire on August 10th, had been delayed due to bad weather. The aim depending on the weather - is now for the mast to go live between October 13th and the 19th. More details will follow on what viewers need to do once the switch on takes place.
Arqiva is working with local authorities, housing organisations and charities on Project Restore to get TV services back for those affected, and to prioritise specific groups. People over 65, those with disability, and socially vulnerable groups will receive priority help.
A new call centre will provide support and advice, and an engineer will visit homes through scheduled visits if required for those in the priority groups. For those unable to receive a signal we will provide a selection of options, for example including Freesat TV.
A new, online hub offering support and information to those affected including how to retune or re-point antennae - will be available later this week at bilsdalemast.co.uk
Arqiva CEO Paul Donovan said: We're sorry that bad weather has pushed back the go-live date for the temporary mast. Safety of our staff is paramount. Once it is switched on, services will be restored for many thousands of people.
We're working hard on alternative plans to help those who don't benefit from that, including here on the coast and in the Dales of North Yorkshire and County Durham, and some other areas. We're absolutely co
