THE TV Licensing League of Shame has exposed Bury as a town rife with licence dodgers.

In the top 40 areas in England where evaders have been caught, Bury as well as Bolton have been named the 23rd worst.

In the BL postcode areas, which embraces both towns, 1,273 licence evaders were caught between July and December last year.

That figure represents a 25 per cent increase in licence dodgers compared to the previous league table compiled by TV Licensing bosses.

The increase moved Bury and Bolton up the league of shame from 27th place.

In the first league table, the towns were at 42.

Licence evaders will be brought before the magistrates court and can face fines of up to £1,000. They will still need to buy a TV licence.

John Thompson, TV Licensing's head of field operations, said: "The high number of evaders caught is a tribute to the determination of officers to track down licence dodgers.

"A crucial role has been played by our database which holds details of every address in the country."

He added: "Based on that, we already know who does and who doesn't have a licence and we will continue knocking on the doors of suspected licence evaders.

"Given the likelihood of being caught, it's pretty foolish to risk a court visit and a fine of up to £1,000, particularly when there are so many ways to pay."

Mr Thompson went on: "We have been working closely with organisations like the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and the Money Advice Association to give our customers as much choice as possible whatever their financial circumstances."

A colour TV licence currently costs £104 but will rise to £109 from April 1.