LATEST statistics reveal that people are coming up with more ridiculous excuses than ever for not paying their TV licence.

TV Licensing released the information in an effort to communicate that far-fetched excuses really won’t work.

Statistics for the first 10 months of 2010 reveal that despite the tall tales many people were still being caught without a valid licence in the Dorset area. More than 110 people throughout Weymouth, 20 in Portland and 90 in Christchurch were caught out this year.

The number of people being caught in these areas demonstrates an unwillingness of many to pay for a licence, although the fines many are facing far outweigh the fee.

Along with the usual excuses blaming other people or animals, there were several others that really were grasping at straws.

Excuses ranged from “I don’t watch the television; I just use it as a light in the dark,” through to “when I called TV Licensing they refused to barter so I decided not to buy. Everything should be up for negotiation.”

The South West representative for TV Licensing Warren Carr said: “No matter how creative people get with their excuses, watching or recording live TV without a licence is against the law.

“In fairness to those who pay the fee, we will prosecute those who try to avoid it, including the likes of the gentleman who refused to buy a licence unless we bartered with him. He was found guilty and fined by unimpressed magistrates.”

Anybody caught trying to evade paying for a licence could find themselves facing a fine of over £1,000.

For further information on TV Licensing visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk