ARMCHAIR sports fans settling down to watch the Olympic Games could be for the high jump if they do not pay their TV licence fee.

Enforcement officers are ready to descend on Bolton during the Games in Athens to catch out licence fee evaders.

And they are hoping for a repeat show of figures that saw 184 football fans in Bolton netted during the Euro 2004 football tournament for failing to pay their TV licence.

Those caught red-handed could face a trip to court and a fine of up to £1,000.

Detection vans will be prowling the town's streets ready to pounce on those cheating the system.

Officers will use modern technology to access a database of over 28 million adresses.

This identifies potentially unlicensed properties, so when athletes are going for gold, licensing officers could be going for fee evaders.

Deborah Copeland, TV Licensing spokesman for the North, said that teams had been limbering up for this summer's campaign.

She added: "But we always prefer people to pay for a TV licence rather than be prosecuted. So we are urging all evaders to buy a licence before they get caught."

Viewers are currently being asked to pay an annual fee of £121 for a colour TV licence.

Figures released by the National Audit Office in 2002 revealed that TV licence dodgers were costing the BBC at least £141 million a year in lost revenue.

Michelle Tunstall, Regional TV Licensing Manager for the North, said: "Our recent recruitment drive has paid dividends, with more inquiry officers out on the streets successfully catching evaders in Bolton at all times of day.

"With our database, enquiry officers and the detection vans at our disposal, the odds are stacked against evaders. The message is clear - buy a licence."

For more information on a television licence, along with ways to pay, contact 0870 241 5590 or visit the website at www.tvlicensing.co.uk