MORE than 100 television licence 'dodgers' in St Helens have been netted following a 'stealth' campaign in the area.

Doug Mullin, of TV Licensing in the North West, said: "While we are delighted that the campaign is so successful, we are also disappointed that 109 people still thought they could get away without buying a licence. Evaders have no chance of escape".

TV Licensing has a team of enquiry officers who work seven days a week routing out evaders using the sophisticated database of 26 million addresses, detector vans and state-of-the-art, hand-held scanners which can detect whether or not a TV is being used in a block of flats or student halls of residence.

Mr Mullin continued: "Using a TV without a licence is unfair on the majority of TV watchers who make sure they are covered. Anyone caught evading can expect a trip to court and a fine of up to £1,000. When you think that a colour TV license costs £109, evasion simply does not make sense".

There are a range of easy payment schemes to spread the cost of a licence. Details from 08705226666.