TV mast fire update: Some areas of the North East get their pictures back but most of North Yorkshire must wait

If you’re struggling to pick up your favourite TV or radio station today, you’re not the only one.

More than a million people in North Yorkshire and Teesside lost FM, DAB and TV signals following the Bilsdale mast fire.

We reported yesterday how six fire crews responded to the transmitter blaze near Helmsley – and published video footage of the incident.

The fire is out. This is what North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said about the incident (Wednesday 11 August)

The area around the site remains secure with a 300m exclusion zone still in place until the site operator can confirm that the tower is structurally secure.

When the site is safe North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service will return for a closer examination. This will allow us to positively confirm that the fire has been extinguished and to begin the process of investigating the cause of the fire.

At this time there is nothing to suggest that the fire is the result of any criminal activity but this cannot be confirmed until a closer examination has been carried out.

No timetable for when all broadcast services will be back on.

However tonight the BBC reported that it had managed to restore a service to some parts of the region. It said:

BBC TV channels for some households in Hartlepool, Redcar and Middlesbrough are back on. BBC Radio Tees in Middlesbrough is also back on air for some areas.

The mast’s operator is broadcast company Arqiva. Here’s what it said on Twitter:

Following the incident at Bilsdale yesterday our teams continue to work with the emergency services to ensure the safety of the site.

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.

If you have lost your signals, there’s a guide on picking up BBC services here – and Freeview services here.

David Todd of Herbert Todd and Sons, the electrical retailer in York, told the Late Show on YorkMix Radio that there were a number of ways to get round the problem.

He suggested using a TV Firestick (a media device which lets you stream video, install apps, play music etc on your tv) to relay pictures via your broadband.

You could also try to tune to the other main transmitter this side of the Pennines, at Emley Moor in West Yorkshire.

That option will only work in certain areas of North Yorkshire though.

You can listen to more of that interview here.