MORE than 60 young people between the ages of 18 and 25 were caught without a television licence in Swindon over the past year.

And double that number were detected in Wiltshire.

The figure represents a slight increase from the 53 found watching live TV during 2017.

The TV Licensing authority said that many youngsters think they might be exempt if they are in student accommodation, or using different ways of accessing programme.

Richard Chapman, TV Licensing’s spokesperson in the south west, said: “Every year there are myths which circulate around campus about when you do and don’t need a licence. As most students own at least one device capable of showing live TV or watching BBC iPlayer - such as a laptop, smartphone or tablet computer – it’s important they know the law around being correctly licensed. If you’re watching live TV on any device, including mobiles and tablets, or watch catch up programmes on BBC iPlayer, you need to be covered by a TV licence.”

Check tvlicensing.co.uk/studentinfo or call 0300 790 6113.