Work got underway – in murky conditions – to dismantle the second mast at Emley Moor and people have been asked to stay away.

On Wednesday (September 6) work crews, assisted by a helicopter, started the process of removing the temporary structure which could take around three weeks, weather permitting.

The Emley Moor site will be completely closed for a period of time and people are asked to stay away while the work is ongoing.

The temporary mast, built in 2018, was required to enable engineers to undertake essential updates to the antenna on the tower as part of the nationwide ‘700Mhz Clearance’ project to clear some frequencies that were used for TV to be used for mobile data.

The 700MHz Clearance Programme was a major infrastructure project mandated by UK Government marking the biggest change to the terrestrial TV network since digital switchover.

The concrete tower at Emley began transmitting in 1971 and is a grade II listed building. The iconic tower is 1,084ft (330.4m) tall.