BUSINESSES in Lancashire face spot checks from TV licensing over the Christmas and New Year period.

TV Licensing is warning businessed in the area that they face a court hearing or a fine upto £1,000 if they are caught watching television without a licence.

And are urging any companies watching television illegally to buy TV licenses.

Provided they are correctly licensed, company bosses can let staff watch TV at work, whether on a television set or a PC, without worrying that the party budget may get diverted to cover the cost of the fine.

Charlotte Hancock, TV Licensing spokesperson for the North of England, said: "All businesses in Lancashire, whether a local office, building site, or shop, need to check they are covered before allowing staff to watch TV.

"Furthermore, as more and more people watch live television on their computers, bosses need to be extra vigilant, as any business providing PCTV so staff can tune into Christmas specials at work must be correctly licensed.

"The law is clear: if a business uses or installs any equipment in order to watch or record TV programmes as they are being shown on TV, including TV sets, laptops and PCs, it needs to be covered by a TV licence.

"Businesses do not need a licence for their equipment if it is only being used for playing videos or closed circuit monitoring.

"TV Licensing will continue to work hard to ensure that everyone meets their legal requirements."