BRITAIN will be tilted on its axis today after the BBC bowed to complaints over its £1 million new weather forecast.

Viewers will see more of the North of England and Scotland in a “change of perspective” after viewers said that the South of England had been given too much prominence. The aerial view will be “straightened” to give the impression of equal representation to points north of Birmingham.

The Scottish National Party hailed the return of Stornoway to its former prominence, agreed by BBC weather chiefs after representations in Parliament. “The BBC has been undone by the Western Isles whirlwind,” claimed a triumphant Alex Salmond, the SNP leader. “It is great to see that Scottish pressure has made the BBC think again.”

Viewers will also be given time to orientate themselves during the rapid surveys of the national weather map. The “zooming” speed has been reduced after people said that it induced motion sickness.

However, the BBC rejected calls to return to the familiar sun and cloud symbols. The land-mass will remain brown, and the corporation published audience research apparently showing that the changes were popular with viewers.

The BBC has received 4,000 complaints since the new graphics were introduced. Andrew Lane, the BBC weather manager, said that the concessions showed that the corporation had responded to the depth of feeling. He said: “The global look of the map naturally makes the bottom of the map appear slightly larger, but we now recognise that the perspective needs changing, and are responding.”

A resurgent Scotland will be seen in forecasts from this morning.

Mr Lane defended the 3-D software package, which comes from New Zealand. He said: “We are satisfied that, overall, the system is providing more detailed and up-to-date analysis, particularly by zooming into the nations and regions.

“However, we have always made clear that we listen to our audiences.”

Britain’s future remains a sludgy brown though. A BBC spokesman said: “The sandy shade will remain, as it reflects the ‘natural sunlight’ which is a key part of the new system — so when it is sunny, the land warms up and highlights the good weather. The sandy shade also allows for detailed weather conditions to be shown over it.”

Angus MacNeil, the SNP MP who tabled an early-day motion in the House of Commons in protest at the new weather, urged Scots to fight on for the return of isobars, wind speed and direction.

But the BBC said that it did not intend to make any further changes and rejected claims that the forecast had been “dumbed down”.

Forecasts continue to depict wind speed and direction as well as isobars “where they are helpful to viewers”. Special consideration will be given to fishing and farming communities, who find isobars particularly useful. The revised weather-map system will continue to take viewers on “tours” of the nations and regions, and to show in clearer detail than before what the weather is doing. Critics of the weather forecasting changes included the veteran forecaster Bill Giles, who said that the technological revolution was “too much, too soon”. John Teather, who founded the BBC’s weather centre in 1991, said that the fancy graphics failed to help viewers to understand the forecast.

Yesterday the BBC cited a survey of 5,000 people showing that seven out of ten viewers preferred the new system or liked it as much as the old forecasts. More audience research will follow but the BBC is satisfied that the first major change to forecasts since 1985 has given viewers “the extra clarity and detail they have told us they want”.

• Temperatures reached 31.2C (88F) yesterday in London and topped 30C in parts of Kent. It was the hottest day in May since 1953. The holiday weekend was expected to remain dry in most areas but cooler.

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