"I can’t pay for my licence because my 18-month-old baby pinched my payment card, climbed on to the kitchen units, put it into the microwave, turned it on and now it’s melted.”

“Our new dog ate all my mail so I didn’t see the reminder...”

These are just two of the many excuses used by people caught watching TV without a licence in Bradford and West Yorkshire.

Others include laying the blame elsewhere: “I got caught shoplifting, so I’m barred from the shop that takes the PayPoint payments.”

And excuses from further afield include a home invasion by a squirrel which broke the TV.

The UK’s TV Licensing Authority is running an ‘Excuses’ campaign, which can be viewed on its new YouTube channel (youtube.com/ TVLicensing), allowing people to see how others attempt to wriggle out of their responsibilities.

The authority has a comprehensive database of more than 30 million addresses in the UK, allowing staff to see unlicensed addresses at the touch of a button.

“This is the primary tool we use to catch licence fee evaders as it allows us to focus our investigations on unlicensed addresses using the most appropriate combination of written and personal contact,” says Paul Williams, TV Licensing spokesman for the North of England.

If no response if forthcoming, following letters and visits to a property, then detection may be used.

Contrary to rumours in the Press that TV detector vans are a thing of the past, the vehicles continue to play an important role.

“We don’t disclose the exact number of vans in operation,” says Paul, “but there is a fleet in use throughout the UK.”

Neither are they the conspicuous vehicles of days gone by, with revolving, satellite dishes and long aerials. “The latest vans can operate covertly without branding, so any white van on the street could be a TV detector van.”

He adds: “We don’t give details about how we operate detector vans, however, I can say that our enquiry officers might visit properties at any time of day or night.”

Use of detection equipment is subject to the independent oversight of the Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC). People caught using a TV without a licence face possible prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000, as well as having to buy a licence.

In 2012, more than 15,400 people were caught without a licence, including more than 3,200 in Bradford. There were 550 licence evaders in Keighley, 230 in Shipley, 110 in Pudsey and ten in Ilkley.

Between October 2012 and September last year, more than 25,000 adults aged under 25 were caught watching live TV without a licence. This includes more than 290 young adults in Bradford and district.

“It is important that young people understand a TV licence is needed to watch or record TV programmes as they are shown on any device, whether on a laptop, tablet, phone or TV.”

The number of evaders caught in any area fluctuates and can be influenced by a variety of factors including the visiting patterns of TV Licensing enquiry officers. But, overall across the country, evasion is at a low of around five per cent and has remained at this level for the past six years.

A growing number of people are opting to receive their annual licence by e-mail. Across the UK ,this number has risen to 4.2 million, including more than 13,500 in Bradford.

“The number is increasing all the time amid growing concern for the environment,” says Paul.

Licence fee payers who moved to the online service directly contributed to a reduction in the cost of collecting the TV licence of more than £15 million in the past 12 months.

Anyone aged over 75 is eligible for a free licence for their main address. There are currently 4.25 million free licences in force, including more than 16,000 in Bradford.

“With 4.9 million adults over the age of 75 living in the UK, we encourage those eligible for the concession to apply online or by phone,” says Paul.

Some people overlook changing the address on their licence when they move house, but, providing people remember, TV Licensing make the process simple.

“Over the last year, we have helped 800,000 households in the UK transfer from one address to another, including 5,900 in Bradford,” says Paul.

“We make it as easy as possible for people to notify us – they can fill in a form at tvlicensing.co.uk/moving, or call us on 0300 7906037.”