diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/components/area-list.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/components/area-list.scss
index 5b1bb651a..283bc5b62 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/components/area-list.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/components/area-list.scss
@@ -6,55 +6,65 @@
 
     display: inline-block;
     border: 2px solid $black;
-    padding: (govuk-spacing(1) + 1px) (govuk-spacing(2) + 35px) govuk-spacing(1) govuk-spacing(2);
+    // Create space for the remove link on the right of the list item (including borders)
+    padding: (govuk-spacing(1) + 1px) (govuk-spacing(2) + 35px + (2 * 2px)) govuk-spacing(1) govuk-spacing(2);
     margin: 0 govuk-spacing(1) govuk-spacing(2) 0;
     position: relative;
 
     &-remove {
 
-      font-size: 0;
+      display: block;
+      position: absolute;
+      top: -2px; // cover list-item border-top
+      right: -2px; // cover list-item border-right
+      bottom: -2px; // cover list-item border-bottom
+      width: 35px;
+      background: $govuk-blue;
+      color: $white;
+      box-shadow: -2px 0 0 0 $black, inset 1px 0 0 0 rgba($white, 0.1);
+      padding: (govuk-spacing(1) + 1px) 0 govuk-spacing(1); 
+      border: 2px solid $govuk-blue;
+      border-left: none;
+      text-align: center;
+      text-decoration: none;
 
-      &:before {
-        content: "×";
-        display: block;
-        position: absolute;
-        top: -2px;
-        right: -2px;
-        bottom: -2px;
-        width: 35px;
-        background: $govuk-blue;
-        color: $white;
-        box-shadow: -2px 0 0 0 $black, inset 1px 0 0 0 rgba($white, 0.1);
-        border: 2px solid $govuk-blue;
-        border-left: none;
-        font-size: 24px;
-        font-weight: normal;
-        line-height: 40px;
-        text-align: center;
-        text-decoration: none;
+      // The box-shadow that separates the remove link from the list item is hidden in
+      // high contrast mode. Remake using a border instead
+      @media (-ms-high-contrast: active), (forced-colors: active) {
+        & {
+          border-left: 2px solid $govuk-blue;
+        }
       }
 
       &:hover,
       &:focus {
+        color: $light-blue-25;
+      }
 
-        &:before {
-          color: $light-blue-25;
+      @media (-ms-high-contrast: active), (forced-colors: active) {
+        &,
+        &:hover,
+        &:focus {
+          color: CanvasText;
         }
-
       }
 
       &:focus {
 
         outline: none;
-
-        &:before {
-          background: $govuk-focus-colour;
-          color: $black;
-          border-color: $black;
-        }
+        background: $govuk-focus-colour;
+        color: $black;
+        border-color: $black;
 
       }
 
+      // counter background colours being overridden
+      @media (-ms-high-contrast: active), (forced-colors: active) {
+        &:focus {
+          outline: 3px solid transparent;
+          color: CanvasText;
+        }
+      }
     }
 
     &:last-child {
diff --git a/app/templates/views/broadcast/preview-areas.html b/app/templates/views/broadcast/preview-areas.html
index 163a339e5..a82da6291 100644
--- a/app/templates/views/broadcast/preview-areas.html
+++ b/app/templates/views/broadcast/preview-areas.html
@@ -30,7 +30,16 @@
       <ul class="area-list">
     {% endif %}
         <li class="area-list-item">
-          {{ area.name }} <a class="area-list-item-remove" href="{{ url_for('.remove_broadcast_area', service_id=current_service.id, broadcast_message_id=broadcast_message.id, area_slug=area.id) }}">remove</a>
+          {{ area.name }}
+          <a class="area-list-item-remove" href="{{ url_for('.remove_broadcast_area', service_id=current_service.id, broadcast_message_id=broadcast_message.id, area_slug=area.id) }}">
+            <svg id="area-list-item-remove__icon" width="12" height="12" viewbox="0 0 12 12" aria-labelledby="area__{{ loop.index }}" role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <g>
+              <title id="area__{{ loop.index }}">Remove {{ area.name }}</title>
+              <g transform="rotate(45),translate(1, -7.5)">
+                <line stroke-width="2" id="svg_1" y2="0" x2="7.5" y1="15" x1="7.5" stroke="currentColor" fill="none"/>
+                <line stroke-width="2" id="svg_3" y2="7.5" x2="0" y1="7.5" x1="15" stroke="currentColor" fill="none"/>
+              </g>
+            </svg>
+          </a>
         </li>
     {% if loop.last %}
       </ul>
diff --git a/tests/app/main/views/test_broadcast.py b/tests/app/main/views/test_broadcast.py
index 9fe537c47..cc11e3ab7 100644
--- a/tests/app/main/views/test_broadcast.py
+++ b/tests/app/main/views/test_broadcast.py
@@ -832,8 +832,8 @@ def test_broadcast_page(
         'ctry19-E92000001',
         'ctry19-S92000003',
     ], [
-        'England remove',
-        'Scotland remove',
+        'England Remove England',
+        'Scotland Remove Scotland',
     ], [
         'An area of 200,000 square miles Will get the alert',
         'An extra area of 8,000 square miles is Likely to get the alert',
@@ -846,11 +846,11 @@ def test_broadcast_page(
         'wd20-E05003228',
         'wd20-E05003229',
     ], [
-        'Penrith Carleton remove',
-        'Penrith East remove',
-        'Penrith Pategill remove',
-        'Penrith South remove',
-        'Penrith West remove',
+        'Penrith Carleton Remove Penrith Carleton',
+        'Penrith East Remove Penrith East',
+        'Penrith Pategill Remove Penrith Pategill',
+        'Penrith South Remove Penrith South',
+        'Penrith West Remove Penrith West',
     ], [
         'An area of 6 square miles Will get the alert',
         'An extra area of 20 square miles is Likely to get the alert',
@@ -859,7 +859,7 @@ def test_broadcast_page(
     ([
         'lad20-E09000019',
     ], [
-        'Islington remove',
+        'Islington Remove Islington',
     ], [
         'An area of 10 square miles Will get the alert',
         'An extra area of 5 square miles is Likely to get the alert',
@@ -868,7 +868,7 @@ def test_broadcast_page(
     ([
         'ctyua19-E10000019',
     ], [
-        'Lincolnshire remove',
+        'Lincolnshire Remove Lincolnshire',
     ], [
         'An area of 4,000 square miles Will get the alert',
         'An extra area of 700 square miles is Likely to get the alert',
@@ -878,7 +878,7 @@ def test_broadcast_page(
         'ctyua19-E10000019',
         'ctyua19-E10000023'
     ], [
-        'Lincolnshire remove', 'North Yorkshire remove',
+        'Lincolnshire Remove Lincolnshire', 'North Yorkshire Remove North Yorkshire',
     ], [
         'An area of 10,000 square miles Will get the alert',
         'An extra area of 2,000 square miles is Likely to get the alert',
@@ -991,7 +991,7 @@ def test_preview_broadcast_areas_page_with_custom_polygons(
         normalize_spaces(item.text)
         for item in page.select('ul.area-list li.area-list-item')
     ] == [
-        'Area one remove', 'Area two remove', 'Area three remove',
+        'Area one Remove Area one', 'Area two Remove Area two', 'Area three Remove Area three',
     ]
 
     assert len(page.select('#area-list-map')) == 1