Welsh villages lose analogue TV signal

Two small villages in Wales have become the first areas in Britain to lose their analogue television signal.

Ferryside and Llanstephan in Carmarthenshire are taking part in the first digital-only pilot ahead of the planned nationwide changeover in 2012.

The start of the pilot coincides with the publication of statistics by communications regulator Ofcom showing that by the end of 2004 nearly 60 per cent of households received digital television.

The number of Sky subscribers rose to 7,262,000, while the number of digital terrestrial television subscribers reached 4,592,920.