1,000 TV licence evaders in Portsmouth are caught out
MORE than 1,000 households in Portsmouth were caught watching TV without a valid licence, new figures reveal.
A report from TV Licensing also showed 280 people were caught last year in Waterlooville, 490 in Gosport and 210 in Fareham.
Anyone who watches television illegally faces a possible fine of up to £1,000.
The report shows there were more than 7,000 people caught watching TV illegally across Hampshire and almost 390,000 across the UK.
Pauline Gillingham, TV Licensing spokeswoman, said: ‘TV viewing is as popular as ever, with the percentage of households who have a television set at 96.7 per cent, and it’s our role to make sure everyone is aware of when they need to be covered by a licence.
‘On behalf of licence fee payers in Portsmouth, we are committed to tackling evasion and enforcing the law among the small minority who should pay, but don’t.
‘People are given every opportunity to pay, but, if they fail to do so and watch TV illegally, we will seek a prosecution.’
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Comments
There are 23 comments to this article
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Skimmers73
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 05:19 PMYour only angry because you fall for the con every year and pay for a TV licence.
casualonlooker
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 06:22 AMLook the majority of us pay our licence but like other things we have system cheats. Pay your licence of face the consequences and stop waffling on trying to justify your obvious lack of understanding of what is right and wrong. I would happily put a sledge hammer through the middle of a cheaters 52inch flat screen
Skimmers73
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 09:47 PMOk you are all clearly more brainwashed than you think, there is no hope in educating you. Sick of "people like me" you may be, but there is nothing as sick as those who simply roll over and believe everything they are told, you are being mislead, lied to and conned, if you wish to continue doing so, then far be it for me to tell you otherwise. As for being taken to court, there is no chance, I am far too wise for that. My sincere apologies if my knowledge conflicts with yours, but surely that is why a healthy debate is good for all of us, less for the immature name calling. A parasite you may think I am, but a mug I won't be. May you continue being mugs and paying for a piece of paper.
Freefall1
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 08:25 PMI would like to see you argue that in court Skimmers..... "I don't recognise your laws"...... You'd be fined on the spot. Parasite seems pretty apt.
SirRodney
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 07:14 PMWell maybe all the people who pay up for things like TV licence, Tax, National Insurance, car insurance, car tax, child maintenance and claiming the benefits we are entitled not fraudulently are sick of people like you who think they can get away with not paying. I called you a parasite because that is what you are: 1.An organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host's expense
Seaward Sid
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 06:39 PMWell said SirRodney, skimmers73 is a parasite, it works out at 3 pound a week, thats all...what a parasite!
Skimmers73
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 06:35 PMId rather be a parasite than a mug! And as ever with all these debates and comments on here this has deteriorated into a slanging match, just because your opinion differs from mine and I tried to impart some of my knowledge to others, does not mean that I am a parasite. May you continue to be fleeced.
Skimmers73
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 06:27 PMAnd that is exactly what they want us all to do, name calling really is immature, but thank you. And no Laws cannot be created. Yes I am real, I am also a human being, not a person or a legal fiction, but that might all be way above your head to understand, but I would think with a name like yours, you should be reasonably well educated, sorry if my knowledge and understanding of what is and isn't law is not the same as yours. But I will not be conned into paying for a piece of paper, and I will not follow the rest of the sheep.
SirRodney
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 06:24 PM"Laws annot be created" ...... are you for real. Just pay up like the rest of us you parasite,
Skimmers73
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 06:21 PMLaws cannot be created, what you refer to is legislation, not law. I don't need to hold my breath thank you, I have never bought a TV licence, there is no need. You don't have a licence for your washing machine or hoover do you? If you wish to continue being conned then follow the rest of the sheep, We can sit here all day going round in circles, but do your research, look into it, and you will find the truth, unless of course you are researching any of the Govt websites, of course they're going to tell you the complete opposite, it's in their interest to do so, after all they are a corporation run for profit.
Freefall1
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 04:31 PMAn Act of Parliament creates a new law or changes an existing law. An Act is a Bill approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and formally agreed to by the reigning monarch (known as Royal Assent). Once implemented, an Act is law and applies to the UK as a whole or to specific areas of the country.
Freefall1
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 04:30 PMEven when presented with facts to the contrary, Skimmers still demonstrates the "I will hold my breath until i'm right" attitude. We ALL know you are wrong so it's irrelevant you replying with more tripe!
Skimmers73
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 03:02 PMSeriously there is NO LAW that states you have to purchase a licence to watch TV. What you are being conned into believing is simply an ACT, which is a statutory legislative rule of society, which can ONLY be given the "force of LAW" with the "consent" of the governed, ie you and I. And trust me, it IS the BBC who enforce the Licensing, there is no other agency, TVL is a trading name of the BBC, they then contract capita to collect the revenue that is all. I have done a lot of research into the BBC over many years, you are being conned. http:www.bbctvlicence.comindex.htm
Tman
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:10 AMSkimmers is wrong on more than count. It's not the BBC who enforce the licensing either, and hasn't been so for years. It's a separate agency. Cue "then it's like parking fines and can't be enforced etc etc" comments from the usual barrack room lawyers....
Matgra
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 08:14 AMJust for Skimmers73...from the Tv licensing website... "You don’t need a TV Licence to own or possess a television set. However, if you use it to watch programmes as they are being shown on TV then you need a TV Licence in order to do so. Part 4 of the Communications Act 2003 sets out the requirement for a TV Licence. Section 363 makes it an offence to install or use a television receiver or possess or have control of a television receiver with the intent to install or use it or possess or have control of a television receiver and know or have reasonable grounds for believing that another person intends to install or use it without a valid TV Licence issued under the Communications Act."
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