SOUTHAMPTON has topped Hampshire's league table for TV licence dodgers for the fourth year running.

A total of 2,245 people in Southampton were caught watching programmes without a valid licence in 2006, according to figures released by TV Licensing today.

However, this was a dramatic drop compared with 2005 when 3,139 in the city were caught without a licence.

In second place in 2006 was Portsmouth, where 832 people were caught out.

Basingstoke was in third place, ahead of Lee-on-the-Solent and Gosport.

A total of 6,008 evaders were caught throughout Hampshire last year thanks to TV Licensing's database of more than 28 million addresses, which means unlicensed addresses can be revealed at the touch of a button.

Leander Clarke, spokesman for TV Licensing South East, said: "The number of evaders caught in Southampton remained high in 2006 - but still being in this losers' league is certainly nothing to be proud of.

"Time is running out for evaders - with a UK estimated evasion rate of around five per cent, we are clearly making it harder for people to avoid paying for their TV licence and we are committed to ensure that no one is watching television illegally and that everyone is aware of the consequences of not being properly licensed."