MORE than 1,150 people were caught watching TV without a licence in Waltham Forest during the first six months of 2010, new figures have revealed.

This compares to 955 in Barking and Dagenham and 1,200 people in Redbridge between January and June.

Almost 209,000 people were found to be flouting the licence law across the UK during the first half of this year although figures show almost 95 per cent of properties are correctly licensed.

Ian Fannon, a spokesman for TV Licensing, said: “The vast majority of people in the London area pay their licence fee, and to be fair to those who pay, we have to be firm with those who attempt to get away without paying.

“We take TV Licence evasion very seriously and, while we give people every opportunity to pay, we will not hesitate to prosecute if people continue to break the law."

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