A TV licence evader in York told checking on unlicensed homes that BBC staff had broken into his house and tampered with the TV, in a bid to avoid the £145 fee.

TV Licensing staff visited the man's home in the city to be told: "I've never needed a licence until I took my dog for its blood testing. Since then someone from the BBC keeps breaking into my house and unplugging Sky, so I only plug it in for 10 minutes and it's only freeview so I don't need one,"

The TV Licensing agency has published a list of the most outlandish excuses given to its officers, and the suspicious dog owner from York has made the top 40 in the North.

Although around 95 per cent of homes have the right documents, enforcement staff say a small minority still decide not to pay and offer flawed - and sometimes hilarious - excuses.

The suspicious explanations given in Yorkshire this year ranged from: “Are you going to cut the TV off? If not, you can come in and watch the cricket,” to “Only use the Xbox, mate” as the theme tune of Eastenders bellowing from the room.

TV Licensing spokesman Matthew Thompson said: “We are effective at catching evaders but it’s not surprising a few of those caught will try and avoid taking responsibility. Fewer than two per cent of households only watch catch up TV, so the vast majority of homes still need a TV Licence. Some of the humour and originality in this year’s excuses provided a laugh for our Enquiry Officers and customer service centre staff, but behind every excuse is someone who has been caught watching or recording live TV without a licence."