TV licence dodgersfeared prosecution

There was a rush to pay television licences in March 1979 when the Westminister Government announced that fines were set to increase from £10 to £50.

By The Newsroom

Published 8th Apr 2014, 16:40 BST

Second time offenders would have to pay a fine of £100.

Carrick Post Office announced that it had processed 200 applications during March 1979.

An overall rise in applications by 500 per cent was reported in Northern Ireland.

A spokesman for the GPO said: “People should realise that it is much cheaper to buy a licence than wait to be prosecuted.

“The GPO’s wireless and TV detector vans have been operating in East Antrim for the past six months.”

Revenue lost was £10m.