Rural Scotland 'reports switchover issues'

Consumer Focus has revealed that the digital switchover has not lived up to expectations in some rural parts of Scotland.

According to a report published by the watchdog, 47% of homes in the Borders region are served by relay transmitters and have been able to receive only 20 of the 40 channels meant to be available.

Despite this, the review acknowledged that the analogue TV signal switch off in the Borders had largely proved unproblematic.

It said that Digital UK's switchover managers had worked hard to build a "solid local presence" to make sure everyone was aware of the process.

This included around 100 people updating switchover diaries since July 2007 to document how the process had affected them.

However, the campaign group has now called for greater support to be offered to vulnerable, particularly elderly people as the switchover extends throughout the UK.

Consumer Focus Scotland's Trisha McAuley told the news agency: "Our concern is that too much of the marketing material was too general and that a huge emphasis was placed on people going to their website, which many older and less well-off people were not able to, or did not want to, access.

"The biggest divide in the Borders was in the fact that 47% of homes, served by relay transmitters, can only get half of the available channels - something that many diarists regarded as discriminating against them for living in more rural places."

Meanwhile, the switchover began last week for viewers being served by the Douglas transmitter on the Isle of Man, while the process will soon reach Cumbria's Caldbeck transmitter.