NORTH-East television fans are being faced with delays in excess of two months to have digital TV installed in their home because engineers cannot cope with a surge in demand.

The collapse of ITV Digital has created a massive rush of custom for its former rivals Sky Digital, and a huge backlog of work is building up.

Also, television addicts hoping to buy a Sky box are being told by shops not to expect to be plugged in until July.

But bosses at Sky have said they will take whatever action is necessary - possibly including the employment of extra engineering staff - to reduce the time customers have to wait for installation.

A spokesman said: "Since the closure of ITV Digital, last week, we have experienced increased demand for installations of Sky Digital.

"We can assure all potential customers that our engineers will be working very, very hard to ensure we will be fulfilling this demand with the minimum of delay."

Although no specific plans were confirmed, neither additional engineers, nor overtime for existing staff would be ruled out, said Sky.

"We will consider all necessary measures to ensure we provide quality service to all customers," said the spokesman.

Last week, 1.2m homes across Britain lost their digital television because of the collapse of the firm.

whose popularity was boosted by the advertising campaign featuring a stuffed Monkey and comedian Johnny Vegas.