THE good news for Dalton is that fourth generation mobile services – 4G, has been switched on, but the bad news is the upgraded phone masts could interfere with residents' TV reception.

The new technology will give people faster access to the internet on smartphones and tablets. The upgrade will no doubt be welcomed by many in Dalton who have experienced intermittent 3G connection over recent months.

However, there is a small chance that some 4G mobile signals transmitted at 800 MHz will cause interference to Freeview, which is TV received via an aerial.

Because 4G at 800 MHz signals sit next to the frequencies used by Freeview, they can overload the receivers in TVs and set-top boxes causing interference.

Signs of interference are loss of sound, pictures going blocky, freezing or the TV screen going blank or showing a ‘No Signal’ message.

Set-up under government direction, a company called at800 offers free support to households that rely on Freeview for their TV to resolve 4G related interference problems.

Ben Roome, CEO of at800, said: “We want to ensure that people know it’s our role to fix Freeview interference caused by 4G at 800 MHz, and that there’s no charge for our service.

“If you rely on Freeview for TV, we can arrange for one of our accredited engineers to visit homes to fix Freeview interference caused by 4G signals, free of charge.

"If you use Freeview alongside other TV services, we can send free filters which block mobile signals that are easy to fit to the aerial lead connecting to TVs and set-top boxes.”

Cable and satellite TV, like Sky or Virgin, will not be affected. However, if viewers have cable and satellite TV and also watch Freeview, at800 can provide free filters and advice, but not in-home engineer support.

People who live in communal properties should contact at800 and also advise their landlords. The company can provide free filters to landlords but property managers are responsible for the cost of fitting these.

Extra support is also being offered to people aged 75 or over, are registered blind or partially sighted or receive any of the following benefits: personal independence payments (PIPs); attendance allowance; constant attendance allowance or War Pensioner’s Mobility Support.

Any viewers who experience new interference to Freeview can contact at800 on 0808 13 13 800 (free from landlines and mobiles).