STUDENTS in Swindon are being warned that they face a whopping fine if they are caught watching TV without a licence.
TV Licensing officials catch hundreds of evaders every day, who face fines of £1,000 each.
Nicky Barrett, student liaison manager for TV Licensing, said: "We would always prefer people to pay for a licence rather than be prosecuted so we're advising students to buy one before they get caught."
She has the following advice for students:
l As a student at university or college you are not covered by your parents' TV licence.
l Each room in a hall of residence is a separately occupied place.
This means that if you're using a TV, you will need a TV licence of your own, regardless of whether the hall itself has one.
l If you are going to be sharing a house, a separate tenancy agreement would normally mean your room is classed as a separately occupied place. If you have a TV in your room, you will need your own TV licence.
l However if there is only one TV being used in a communal area then only one TV licence is required.
Phone 08705 22 6666 or visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk/dd for details on how pay.
A colour TV licence costs £121.00 and a black and white licence costs £40.50. Concessionary rates apply if you are blind or over 75.
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