A BLITZ on TV licence dogders is underway in Bolton after the town notched up 3,206 evaders in 12 months.

New figures show the town still has a large proportion of dodgers despite publicity campaigns by the TV Licensing Authority.

This autumn, detector vans will be out in force with evaders being given little warning of being caught.

A TV Licensing spokesman said: "We've done so much advertising and have publicised the fact that every one who watches television still has to have a licence.

"Now the time is for action. People will just get a knock at the door.

"Although the figures for Bolton are not too alarming, it is still very disappointing."

The number of visits increased by less than 1.5 per cent in the region, with convictions up by 75 per cent.

The TV Licensing Authority is using hi-tech equipment to track down the non-licence payers and know exactly who has not been paying for their terrestial channels.

Those caught watching TV without a licence face a trip to court and a potential £1,000 fine.

The spokesman said: "We have now honed our detection methods and are now working smarter than ever.

"We want licence dodgers to realise that they will be caught -- it's simply a matter of time."

Dodgers in Bolton are now being warned that, as from today, detector vans will be out in force as part of a national blitz.

TV Licensing will make half-a-million extra visits in the next three months to suspected licence evaders nationwide.