Town moves up a place in TV licence dodgers shame league

Rochdale has moved in a place in the Greater Manchester television license dodgers league since figures were last collected in January this year. In the first half of 2008, 520 people were caught watching their TV without a licence, making the town the joint-fifth worst in Greater Manchester, alongside Stockport.

Anyone caught watching TV without a licence risks prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

TV Licensing’s database of more than 29 million addresses allows it to see which properties are unlicensed at the touch of a button. Enquiry officers also have access to sophisticated detection equipment, including hi-tech handheld detectors, which were launched a year ago this month.

Nationally, TV Licensing has caught over 209,000 evaders since the start of 2008.

Manchester topped the Greater Manchester licence dodging league and came third nationally with 3626 culprits. Bolton, Wigan and Oldham all had more dodgers than Rochdale, with 1141, 975 and 700 culprits respectively. Salford, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Bury, Leigh and Sale all had fewer licence dodgers.

Charlotte Hancock, spokesman for TV Licensing, said: "No town wants to appear in TV Licensing’s league of shame. Buying a TV licence is simple and can be done in minutes online, so there’s no excuse for licence-dodgers in Rochdale letting the side down.

“TV Licensing’s powerful database shows precisely which properties are unlicensed, meaning enquiry officers can target addresses where they suspect people are watching TV illegally. But we would much rather people buy a licence rather than risk prosecution and a fine, which is why we offer a convenient range of ways to pay. For more information about how to spread the cost of your licence, go to www.tvlicensing.co.uk/info.”