DIGITAL television viewers across Dorset and Hampshire will have to retune their Freeview box today in order to keep all their channels.

A change in signal will affect channels Five and sister stations Fiver and Five USA, which could see viewers lose popular Aussie soaps Neighbours and Home and Away, and US shows CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the new Knight Rider.

It is also expected to affect the signal of some BBC radio stations, and channels ITV3 and ITV 4.

Freeview bosses say the upgrade will actually give more viewers access to the Five channels but those who already get them will need to retune.

The technical changes are also to eventually enable high-definition (HD) television to be broadcast on Freeview, and are expected to affect 18 millon homes across the UK.

Click here to download a list of the digital boxes that will not work

All Freeview TV sets, set-top boxes and digital recorders, as well as TopUp TV and BT Vision boxes will need to be retuned from lunchtime today.

It is thought that around 22,000 older model boxes will no longer work.

A previous reorganisation of the airwaves in Hampshire resulted in hundreds of people temporarily losing BBC services through the free digital channel provider.

Ilse Howling, managing director of Freeview said: “In the same way you would regularly check tyre pressure and keep water levels topped up on a car, get into the habit of retuning your digital box, Freeview+ recorder or digital TV from time-to-time.”

The upgrade is part of a series of changes to television services in the region that will lead up to the switch off of all analogue services in 2012.

Anyone who needs help with retuning their digital channels can phone 08456 05 11 22.