Gillingham and Rainham MP Paul Clark has written to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport, in response to concerns about a possible ‘Medway gap’ in digital TV coverage.

Constituents have complained to the MP how parts of Medway will be unable to receive digital Freeview TV even after analogue TV is switched off in Medway in 2012. This could leave many people having to pay out for expensive subscription satellite and cable TV services.

The MP has written to Andy Burnham MP to ask how big the gap is in Medway’s digital coverage, and what can be done to protect those likely to suffer.

Mr Clark said:“If you’re a licence fee payer already, it’s unfair if, in a few year’s time, you were told you had to fork out hundreds of pounds a year just to keep watching TV on Sky or cable.

"For people who might have bought a Freeview box on the high street for a one-off payment of £30 or less, they could be faced having to pay even more than that every month.

"Many people might have two or even three TV sets in their homes. For them, this could turn out to be a serious financial burden.

"It’s because of these reasons that I’ve raised this with the Secretary of State and I’m looking forward to his reply.”