TV LICENCE dodgers in York have been given a wake-up call after almost 250 were caught in the last six months.

Figures from TV Licensing revealed that 243 people were caught watching a television without a licence in York between January and June 2003.

It follows another successful year for detection in 2002, when 746 people were caught.

The high number of evaders has been linked with the launch of a new fleet of state-of-the-art TV detector vans, which has been patrolling the city in search of licence dodgers.

The new generation of vans, which are the tenth version to hit the streets, are part of a national crackdown to stop viewers risking watching the box without paying their £116 annual licence fee.

Using GPS satellite technology to track down targeted addresses, the vans can detect a television in use in as little as 20 seconds. Once the television is detected, the equipment - which works from up to 60 metres away - can pinpoint the actual room the television set is in.

Deborah Copeland, spokesperson for TV Licensing North, said: "These figures are a warning to anyone who thinks they can get away with evading the licence - they can't. Our detection methods are highly effective with vans and enquiry officers on the streets seven days a week, visiting at hours when we know people are watching their favourite programmes.

"It is also unfair on the honest majority in York who buy a licence that a small minority persist on breaking the law. Whilst we always prefer people to buy a licence rather than be prosecuted, we are committed to bringing down the level of evasion.

"The new detector vans will certainly help us do this."

She added: "The consolation for those who do pay is that anyone caught without a licence risks an appearance in court, a fine of up to £1,000, and court costs as well as the price of a licence."

Nationally, more than 1,000 licence dodgers are caught every day. TV Licensing has a national database of more than 28 million addresses, which can identify in seconds whether a property is licensed.

Updated: 08:44 Tuesday, July 29, 2003