The pips are for fun

SIR – A few years ago, I sailed the length of the North and South Atlantic. I took a sextant and chronometer with me, precise time being necessary for accurate position fixing.

To check my clock I tuned to the BBC’S World Service, which regularly broadcasts the time signal (Letters, January 9), but always found a discrepancy. It occurred to me that perhaps this was created by a digital link between London and the distant mid-ocean transmitter.

I asked the BBC if this was the case and received the following reply: “No one has used the pips for accurate timing for many years (they have been late for at least 25 years, by the way!), but they do form part of the BBC’S top-of-the-hour branding, hence their retention.”

So there we have it; the BBC thinks the pips are just for fun. Paul Heiney

Walberswick, Suffolk