Licensee fined hundreds over TV Licence

Pubs have been warned to make sure they have a valid TV licence after a publican was hit with a hefty fine.

Carol Tolley, of the Royal Oak in Coventry, was ordered to pay a £525 fine, £150 costs and a £15 victim surcharge by Coventry Magistrates for failing to have a TV licence.

According to TV Licensing, Mrs Tolley had been issued with a number of written warnings about the need to be covered by an appropriate TV Licence if watching or recording programmes in the pub

Pubs must have TV licences to cover programmes broadcast in the pub as well as the standard licence covering the living accommodation.

A TV Licensing spokeswoman said: "We would always rather pubs and other businesses ensure they are correctly licensed rather than risk prosecution and a fine. Our database of almost 30 million addresses tells us exactly which properties are unlicensed, so it's just not worth the risk.

"We would urge other businesses to check they are correctly licensed. You can buy a licence online in minutes and find out more about ways to spread the cost at www.tvlicensing.co.uk/business."