Freeview down across UK due to 'high pressure' weather

'If you are affected please do not retune your TV,' the television service said

Freeview is in 19 million British homes

Freeview has stopped working for thousands of users across the UK.

The television service blamed the issue on adverse weather conditions, with customers in the Midlands and South East worst affected.

"Current high pressure weather conditions across the UK can cause picture break up or loss of channels for some viewers," Freeview said in a statement.

"If you are affected please do not retune your TV, as reception will improve with the weather."

Users complained of the outage across social media, while website monitor Down Detector recorded more than 1,000 reports relating to the issue.

The company said users would be able to view of BBC, ITV and other channels through the broadcasters' online streaming services, or through the Freeview app.

"At the moment, it looks as though these conditions may continue throughout the week. Viewers experiencing difficulty can still watch live and on-demand TV through players such as BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub on an internet connected Freeview Play TV or one that has players available to view," the firm said.

It is not the first time the UK's biggest digital TV platform has blamed the weather for poor reception or outages.

In November 2017, the company received complaints after users were unable to watch the final of the Great British Bake Off on Channel 4.