£276 fine for Leeds sandwich shop with no TV licence

Jetal Patel, owner of Peters Sandwich Bar, Whitehall Place, Armley, was fined £146 in her absence for the offence of using a TV without a licence on the business premises.

She was also ordered to pay £100 costs and a £30 victim surcharge following a magistrate’s review of the case.

Any business showing television programmes as they’re broadcast on TV, whether for customers’ use or in staff areas, must be covered by a valid TV licence.

Matthew Thompson, TV Licensing spokesperson for the North, said: “We appreciate these are tough times for businesses, but to be fair to the majority who do pay the licence fee, we have to take action against those who watch TV illegally. As our survey shows, those businesses who do try to get away with it might find the price of being caught to be higher than just a fine. We’d rather businesses think ahead and check if they need a licence than risk being prosecuted.”