Stobart chief's Border bid hits roadblock

The News & Star, the Carlisle-based newspaper, reports this week that ITV recently received an audacious offer for Border TV, the smallest regional licence under ITV's ownership (across the whole network, only Channel TV is smaller but that remains independent). Border was picked up back in 2000 when Granada paid just over £50m for it and then became part of the merged plc three years later when Granada joined up with Carlton. The bidders - a local consortium keen to save threatened news programme Lookaround - are said to have put up a rather lowball-sounding £12m. Monkey understands that ITV gave the offer short shrift. Having taken over a decade to get all the licences together you can't imagine it would be keen to start balkanising itself all over again. But who are the bidders keen to prise Border away from ITV? Monkey heard the name of Andrew Tinkler, the boss of truck company Eddie Stobart. But while he is believed to support the idea, his spokesman said he had no financial involvement.