CRAIGAVON had the third highest number of TV licence dodgers detected in the province last year.
According to the latest figures Craigavon was only topped by Belfast and Londonderry in the TV Licensing ‘league of shame’.
The figures released this week revealed a substantial rise in the number of people in the Craigavon area caught watching TV
without a licence.
TV Licensing caught over 1,300 licence fee dodgers in the borough last year, a rise of almost 200 on the previous year.
The rise in the number of evaders caught is due to the increasing effectiveness of TV Licensing’s detection methods. TV Licensing’s sophisticated database of over 29 million UK addresses allows it to see at the touch of a button which properties are unlicensed.
Last year, TV Licensing also introduced hi-tech handheld detectors, to use alongside its fleet of detector vans. TV Licensing’s success in catching evaders is helping to keep evasion levels at around five per cent nationally.
Craigavon now stands in third place in the TV licence dodgers’ league for Northern Ireland.
Overall, TV Licensing caught over 18,500 evaders in Northern Ireland – enough to fill the The Waterfront Hall (Main Auditorium) almost nine times.
Householders who are caught watching television illegally risk prosecution, a trip to court and a fine of up to £1,000.
For more information on how to pay for your TV licence, visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk or call 0844 800 6732.
The full article contains 251 words and appears in Lurgan Mail newspaper.
