MORE than 3,500 TV licence evaders were prosecuted in the West Mercia Police force area in 2014, according to figures released under a freedom of information request.

But of the 3,552 suspected dodgers, 467 cases were withdrawn or found not guilty.

Women were the biggest culprits in West Mercia with 2,415 prosecuted and 2,115 convicted while only 1,122 men were prosecuted leading to 970 convictions.

The Metropolitan Police area had the highest number of prosecutions with 23,396, followed by Warwickshire with 14,349 and Greater Manchester with 13,788.

West Mercia was placed 18th in a list ranking 37 police forces across England.

The national rate of evasion is between five and six per cent and the number of dodgers caught in an area changes from time to time based on a variety of factors such as the visiting patterns of enquiry officers, according to TV Licensing.

A spokesman for TV Licensing said: “Anyone found watching or recording television programmes at the same time as they are shown on television or live online without a valid licence risks prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000 plus court costs and a victim surcharge - and still needs to buy a TV licence if they need one.

"We would always prefer people pay rather than be prosecuted and offer a wide range of ways to pay for a licence including small weekly cash payments.

"On behalf of the vast majority who pay, we will prosecute people who deliberately evade the fee.”

He added: "The 'prosecution' figures referred to relate to cases registered with the court, not necessarily those which go on to be heard at court.  Cases can be withdrawn by TV Licensing for a variety of reasons.

"TV Licensing has a 99 per cent conviction rate for cases of licence fee evasion when cases are heard at court.”