THE North-East has been uncovered as the home of the TV licence dodger with the publication of a new league of shame.

Six local authority areas in the region have found a place in the 40 with the highest number of licence evaders caught in a six- month clampdown.

The region accounts for almost one in every eight of the 69,000 dodgers caught in the top 40 areas in England between July and December last year.

A TV Licensing spokesman said: "We're very disappointed with the North-East as a region. It is the worst in the country for licence dodgers.

"We have been working to ensure that everybody is aware of the need to pay and the ways to pay and now we will be paying particular attention to the North-East."

He said easy payment methods had been introduced to lessen the burden of a licence on low-income households, including weekly cash payment schemes for people on income-related benefits.

Newcastle came eighth in the national league of shame, with 2,697 dodgers caught in just six months, with Middlesbrough coming in 15th with 1,716.

Sunderland was ranked 21st, with Hartlepool at 33, Gateshead at 36 and Stockton 39th.

South Shields was just outside the top 40, with 620 people caught in six months.

Manchester had the highest number of licence dodgers, with 4,986 caught in the six-month operation.

TV Licensing's head of field operations, John Thompson, said: "The high number of evaders caught is a tribute to the determination of our inquiry officers to constantly track down licence dodgers.

"We already know who does and who doesn't have a licence and we will continue knocking on the doors of suspected licence evaders."

Over the six months to December, 1,460 people were taken to court in Middlesbrough and Stockton and ordered to pay an average fine of £105, as well as court costs of £45 and the cost of a new licence, of £104.

In Hartlepool, 400 people were prosecuted between July and December.

Licence dodgers face a maximum fine of £1,000 and will still have to buy a licence.