Heh, do they still do the "TV detector vans" I've seen referenced or portrayed in certain old TV shows?

Yeah but I've never seen one driving around. It's more a scare too really, though I'm sure they have a few real ones. I heard that somebody saw what appeared to be one but when the rear doors opened it was just a normal minibus. I also heard about one parked up outside a train station where they were handing out leaflets - it had a normal satelite dish on top!

They do have some real ones, and they also have little handheld detectors that let them walk right up to a flat and tell if one is being used inside. If an inspector used one of these and submitted a declaration to court it could be enough for a warrant.

An average of 40 women a year are jailed for non-payment, 398,000 households are "caught" without it and £146m is spent recovering the fees. Over 75's get the licence free which is pretty neat.

Gareth