'˜The mouse watches the TV, not me' TV Licensing reveals ridiculous excuse from Northampton

The TV licensing authority has revealed the most implausible excuses for not having licence in the past year.

In Northampton, a resident told a licensing officer that his mouse had just died and “he used to watch the with him, to give him some company”.

Another Midlands resident informed TV Licensing that she couldn’t pay for her TV licence as her payment card had been eaten by her hamster and she was waiting for it to “come out the other end”.

Mark Whitehouse, TV Licensing spokesperson for the Midlands and East Anglia, said: “We’re not impressed with the creative approach to excuses, as watching or recording live TV without a licence is against the law. 

“Even though we’re effective at catching evaders, we’d always prefer people pay than risk a maximum £1,000 fine.  For those who may find it difficult to pay in one go, we offer a range of payment options to spread the cost, sign up at www.tvlicensing.co.uk/payinfo”