SOME TV viewers incorrectly believe the level of TV licence evasion to be over 50 per cent, according to recent research.

Around 94 per cent of homes are correctly licensed, meaning evasion is at a low level of around six per cent and has been around this level for the last five years.

In the Midlands, more women than men have higher perceptions of evasion rates, with females, on average, thinking that 26 per cent of households watching live TV or iPlayer are doing so without a licence.

While those in the region also have a higher perception of evasion rates, with 15 per cent of residents in the region believing evasion rates stand at over 50 per cent.

Around a quarter of people in the Midlands also claim the evasion rate is between 21 and 50 per cent.

Mark Whitehouse, spokesperson for TV Licensing in the West Midlands, said: “There is a huge disparity between what some licence payers believe and the reality – in fact, evasion rates across the UK remain low, at around six per cent.

“We want people to be aware that the vast majority of people pay their licence fee and that you can pay your TV Licence in regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments, from as little as £6 a week.”

The Harris Interactive Research also indicates that nationally, just over two in three believe it is fair for letters to be sent to those who evade and six in 10 say it is fair that TVL visits addresses where a licence hasn’t been paid. 90 per cent of those aged 65 to 74 also think it’s fair to send letters to households who have not paid for their TV Licence.

TV Licensing visits unlicensed properties which have not responded to attempts to make contact, and on average, more than 700 evaders are caught every day. Last year, 256,600 people were caught watching TV without a licence.