THE Oxford television transmitter is working at full power again, though analogue viewers across Oxfordshire may still be suffering signal problems.

Thousands of people spent money on boosters and amplifiers after losing channels in February when engineers switched to a weaker reserve antenna while working on the mast, in readiness for next year’s switchover to digital TV.

The problem was compounded in May when the main antenna at Beckley was destroyed beyond repair by a fire, causing a temporary blackout for 410,000 viewers.

But, even though the problem has been fixed, people are still losing channels eight months later – because their boosters are making the signal too strong for their televisions to cope with.

Ray Simpson, of Abingdon Aerials, said he was aware of the problem, and advised viewers still encountering problems to remove the equipment to resume normal service.

He said: “For the past few months the signal has been too weak. But now it is too strong.

“I have had people call me because their channels are being knocked out and it’s all down to these boosters. Anybody facing a problem should remove them, although that may be easier said than done because some are installed on roofs.”

Arqiva, the company in charge of the repairs, started building the replacement mast in July.

By 2012, all UK households must have digital access, which the Government claims will benefit viewers by offering more free and paid-for channels.

Chris Cain, spokesman for Digital UK, which is handling the switch over to digital, said: “I can confirm the work at the Oxford transmitter has been completed and services are back to normal.”