'I suffer from anxiety and worry about worrying'

SPECIAL REPORT: Nicole Wootton-Cane spends the day at court hearing sad tales of people prosecuted for not having a TV licence

- Nicole Wootton-Cane

ACROSS the country, 1,000 people a week are prosecuted for failing to pay for a TV licence.

The licence currently costs £159 a year but is set to increase with inflation to £173.30 in April. Legally, you need one if you watch or record live TV or use iPlayer. It is used to fund the BBC, who employ the TV licensing authority for enforcement.The BBC insists it provides great value world class' entertainment.But for those who don't pay, the fallout can be traumatic.

The M.E.N. spent a day listening to the hearings of those being prosecuted for not having a TV licence at Wigan and Leigh magistrates court.Many in court were from low income households, or did not have an income of their own. Most were on benefits. A number were mothers using their television sets to watch CBeebies with their children. Others hardly spoke English.

Reasons for non-payment varied some told the court they simply forgot to pay or weren't aware of the fee. But others broke down in front of the magistrates, saying they didn't understand how the court worked and couldn't afford to pay a fine.

Figures released last year showed women made up over three quarters of the 52,376 people convicted in 2020 over TV licence evasion.

The BBC says it has set out an action plan which aims to reduce the number of women in severe financial hardship who are prosecuted for licence fee evasion. The TV licensing authority say they only prosecute 'as a last resort, and take into account a 'public interest test, which considers factors such as the personal circumstances of the individual, and whether an alternative to prosecution could be offered.

In the day the M.E.N. spent listening to 14 hearings, ten were concluded after guilty pleas. Of those, six defendants were on benefits, and only two could pay their fines upfront.

'I've never been in trouble in my life'