170 caught without television licences

TV Licensing revealed that this compares to more than 350 in Newtownabbey, more than 240 in Carrickfergus and more than 80 in Ballyclare.

There were more than 15,100 people caught watching TV illegally in Northern Ireland and almost 390,000 across the UK.

However, the estimated evasion rate remains steady at around five per cent, as it has done for the last five years.

This means the vast majority of people, or 19 out of 20 households and businesses, are correctly licensed in accordance with the legal requirements.