A PUDSEY-BASED company has been ordered to pay £750 after one of its Bradford pubs was caught without a TV licence.

CJ Bars and Inns Ltd, which operates The Royal Hotel in Main Road, Denholme, was fined £500 for using a TV without a licence on business premises, and ordered to pay £200 costs and a £50 victim surcharge, during the hearing at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court.

The company was found guilty and prosecuted for the same offence in February in relation to another of its pubs, The Royal Hotel, Dewsbury.

Speaking after the case, Matthew Thompson, TV licensing spokesman for the north, said: “We appreciate these are tough times for businesses, but To be fair to the majority, we have to take action against those who watch TV illegally.

“Those businesses who do try to get away with it might find the price of being caught to be higher than just a fine.“We’d rather businesses think ahead and check if they need a licence than risk being prosecution. It costs £145.50, and can be bought in minutes online at tvlicensing.co.uk/businessinfo.”