Are the TV detector vans really coming for you? Leaked BBC memo gives details of licence payments and fines but makes NO mention of fabled vehicles

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Snapshot financial assessment states number of TV Licence officers up
No mention of detector vans in 18-page report from TV Licensing
Evasion up to 5.8% for August compared with last year's figure of 5.2%
TV Licensing refutes claims that detector vans do not exist

Published: 07:39 EST, 28 September 2013 | Updated: 10:46 EST, 28 September 2013

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Doubts have been raised about the existence of the notorious TV licence vans equipped with detectors capable of tracking down those who try to watch for free, after a leaked BBC memo into licence fee payments contained no mention of the vehicles.

The internal document from the BBC states the number of officers employed by TV Licensing and gives a detailed breakdown of the state of licence fee payments and the number of people who evade the charge.

But while it reveals that 334 officers were employed in August to collect the £145.50 fee - an increase of 20 per cent on the figure reported a year ago - nothing is said in the 18-page report about the vans.

Missing: Vans may exist, but the report did not mention how many were on the beat to catch non-licence fee payers

Questions had already been asked about the plausibility of vans equipped with monitors that could differentiate between TV and radio signals, or that could 'catch' people watching live television on computers - which is illegal without a TV licence, even though no licence is required to 'catch up' on programmes via iPlayer.

Sneak peek: A Licence, costing £145.50, is required to watch live BBC programmes whether on TV or online

The snapshot financial assessment from the TV Licensing's Executive Management Forum, obtained by the Radio Times, also indicates the number of non-payers has increased.

Evasion was at 5.8 per cent for August compared with 5.2 per cent the year before.

A spokesperson for TV licensing said had not been invented to scare people into paying, and that the number of those evading the fee was not an accurate representation of the whole year.

She said: 'Detector vans are an important part of our enforcement of the licence fee.

'We don’t go into detail about how many there are or how they work as this information might be useful to people trying to evade the fee.

She said that the figures were accurate in the leaked documents they only represent a snapshot of a month and that overall evasion 'remains steady at around 5 per cent' .

The number of enforcement officers 'remains broadly comparable year on year', she said.

She added: 'We monitor estimated evasion levels throughout the year but, because the figure fluctuates month by month, we only publish an annual figure.

Evasion: Many had questioned how vans could pick up on people who watched live streamed BBC programmes on iPlayer

She added: 'We monitor estimated evasion levels throughout the year but, because the figure fluctuates month by month, we only publish an annual figure.

'Estimated evasion is currently at a low of around 5 per cent, and has been remarkably stable around this level over the past six years, despite challenging economic conditions.

In June, TV licensing disclosed the 'best' excuses people had given to avoid the £145.50 annual fee.

They included: 'Why would I need a TV Licence for a TV I stole? Nobody knows I’ve got it.'

And: 'The only way I can afford to pay for my TV Licence is if I sell my hamster, is that what you want me to do?'