FURIOUS viewers jammed telephone switchboards today after the plug was pulled on TVs in more than 240,000 homes.

Screens throughout the Brighton and Hove area went blank at 7am after the shared main transmitter was shut down.

Service was not due to be restored until 6pm today. The only warning of the switch-off was on the BBC's Ceefax service, which was also unavailable today.

Thousands called the BBC switchboard in London demanding to know the reason for the blackout and asking why they had not been told in advance.

Television shops were also struggling to cope with customers wanting their sets repaired.

The BBC later apologised for the blackout, which it said was due to essential maintenance work on the Racehill transmitter in Whitehawk, Brighton.

Viewers were furious at missing out on their favourite programmes.

Georgina Bearns, 25, of Brunswick Road, Hove, said: "It's infuriating. We pay our TV licence and they don't even have the decency to let people know what's going on.

"I thought my TV had gone wrong until a neighbour told me what had happened."

Among the shows lost to viewers were the lunchtime news, live tennis coverage, both episodes of Neighbours and a whole afternoon of children's television.

Fan Ann Dickens, 51, of High Street, Brighton, was one of many missing their daily instalment of Australian soaps Neighbours and Home and Away.

She said: "I look forward to watching my soaps. It's one of the few chances I have to put my feet up during the day.

"I flicked the box on at lunchtime to watch Neighbours and all I got was a fuzzy screen."

Homes from Worthing to Peacehaven were hit by the blackout.

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Hove care home owner Wendy King had to explain to residents why they were missing their favourite shows.

She said: "There are quite a few people who rely on television to help them through the day. We have two or three residents here that are not very well and have the telly on in their rooms for company.

"It would have been nice to know sooner that this was going to happen. I suppose we will have to have a music afternoon or something instead."

A spokesman for the BBC apologised for the inconvenience the work caused.

He said notice was given on the service's Ceefax page and added: "It is normal practice to do that."

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