Brighton and Hove has topped the league of shame for the fourth year running for having the most TV licence dodgers in the county.

Last year TV Licensing, which seeks out evaders, found 1,132 people in the city had not bought a licence.

If all the people caught stood hand in hand, they could stretch up and down the city's Palace Pier more than three times.

Following closely behind in the county's list of shame were Worthing and Eastbourne.

In total TV Licensing caught up with 3,700 people who did not have a TV licence but had a television in their homes in the BN postcode area.

Some excuses by evaders were ridiculous.

TV Licensing said the most innovative excuse came from a man who told enforcement officers: "I haven't renewed my licence because my wife flushed it down the toilet, along with my wallet."

Other excuses included someone claiming to be exempt because they were a member of the Tonga Royal Family and another person who said their name was too long to fit on the licensing document.

The number of licence fee dodgers has risen considerably in Brighton and Hove in recent years from 260 in 2001 and 600 in 2002.

TV Licensing said the number of people caught had increased because of improved detection methods.

A sophisticated database of more than 29 million UK addresses allows it to see all the unlicensed properties at the touch of a button.

Last year TV Licensing also introduced hi-tech hand-held detectors to use alongside its fleet of detector vans.

TV Licensing is planning another crackdown in the city next week and will send out an early warning to potential evaders.

Anyone caught watching television without a licence could face prosecution and a £1,000 fine.

TV Licensing also reminded people they were still obliged under law to buy a licence if they have television equipment to receive or record television programmes as they are being broadcast.

A TV Licensing spokeswoman said: "This is the last chance for evaders in Brighton before our crackdown begins.

"Get a TV licence now or run the risk of prosecution, a trip to court and a fine of up to £1,000.

"Our database allows us to see unlicensed addresses at the touch of a button so there really is nowhere for evaders to hide.

"While TV Licensing is committed to catching evaders, we would much rather people buy a TV licence than risk prosecution - which is why we make it as easy as possible to pay and work hard to ensure people are aware of their licensing requirements.

"Unfortunately some people still try and avoid paying for a TV licence, and we have a duty to enforce the law on behalf of the honest majority who pay."

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