Wind farm bosses have been slammed for offering community grants while problems with TV signals persist.

Energiekontor, which is behind the Hyndburn Windfarm project, has unveiled a Windfall Fund with more than £100,000 a year on offer to charities and community groups for 25 years, as reported in last week’s Observer.

But Baxenden councillor Kath Pratt claims some residents are still experiencing TV signal problems caused by the wind turbines on Oswaldtwistle Moor and says some of the money could have been given to them.

She said: “The situation in Baxenden is by no means solved, but they’re giving all this money in grants out. Why can’t they use some of it to help those affected?” She added the televisions in her bedroom and kitchen were very pixilated and Energiekontor had only offered one Freesat box per home to address the issue.

Councillor Kath Pratt

But Energiekontor said they had realigned dishes to the Haslingden transmitter at the same time as installing Freesat boxes and urged people to get in touch if they were still having problems.

Nathan Wicks, one of the project managers for the Hyndburn Wind Farm, said: “Affected residents who wanted to take up our offer of a contribution towards Freesat would have had the option to have had their aerial realigned to the Haslingden TV transmitter for any other TVs. The Haslingden TV transmitter is the primary TV transmitter for residents in the Baxenden area which delivers a strong signal and the quality of reception is unaffected by the wind turbines.”

He added the Windfall Fund was being managed by the Prospects Foundation and would benefit local groups.

The fund, which was launched at Prospects’ new Environmental Centre on Broadway last Saturday, April 13, was a condition of planning permission for the project being granted.

Nathan Wicks from Energiekontor can be contacted on 0113 2044862

Coun Pratt is standing for election in the Accrington South division in the county council elections on May 2 for the Conservatives. Also standing in Accrington South are Bernard Dawson (Labour), Kasia Jewell (Green Party), Christopher Matthew (UKIP), and Alexander Scott Ross (Independent).