Some 'not switched on' to digital

Digital will begin replacing analogue in the Scottish Borders

Some television viewers in the Borders are not prepared for the UK's first main digital switchover next week, it has been claimed.

About 52,000 households covered by the Selkirk transmitter will be affected by the switchover on 6 November.

Consumer Focus Scotland said while awareness was high, many Borders viewers were still unprepared.

It said the help scheme for older and vulnerable consumers did not get the information to people early enough.

Digital UK, the independent body in charge of the switchover and information campaign, has said recent research suggested most Borders viewers were prepared for the changes.

Many consumers have not had clear enough advice at the right time on what they need to do and what they don't Trisha McAuley Consumer Focus Scotland

Trisha McAuley, head of services and advocacy at Consumer Focus Scotland, said lessons needed to be learned from how the first switchover was being handled.

She said: "Because the official help scheme didn't reach many of the people it was targeting until late on in the run up to switching, many consumers have not had clear enough advice at the right time on what they need to do and what they don't.

"As a result, consumers have told us that they have bought new equipment when in fact they didn't need to."

She added the work of the diarists provided useful lessons for future switchovers, with the rest of Scotland scheduled for 2010.

Switchover takes place in two stages. The first starts shortly after midnight on 6 November when analogue BBC Two will be switched off and replaced with the BBC's digital channels.

Stage two takes place a fortnight later on 20 November. The remaining analogue channels will be replaced in digital format.

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