130 still watching mono TV

It might be 46 years since colour hit our screens but more than 130 people in the county are still watching television in black and white.

Figures released by TV Licensing showed that 136 black and white TV licences are held in the county.

TV traders and repairers – who said they had not fixed a black and white telly for about a decade – said they were surprised so many people still seemingly used one.

"We've not seen one for about 25 years, I reckon," said engineer Phil Evans, at Lords Electrical, in Wigston.

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"You just would not be able to get the spares any more.

"The number of 136 does surprise me."

Kevin Voce, co-owner of Glenfield Television in Station Road, said: "Absolutely no one has brought one in for years.

"We haven't sold one for 30-odd years and I don't think I have repaired one for eight or 10 years.

Black and white TV licences cost £49 – a price frozen until 2016 – whereas a colour licence costs £145.50.

The number of annual black and white licences issued has been steadily been declining in recent years.

In 2000, 212,000 black and white TV licences were issued, but by 2003 that number had shrunk to 93,000 and in 2006 fewer than 50,000 households were watching TV in monochrome.

Now, just 13,202 black and white licences are in use across the UK.

Mark Whitehouse, spokesman for TV Licensing in the East Midlands, said: "It's remarkable that with the digital switchover complete, 41 per cent of UK households owning HDTVs and Britons leading the world in accessing TV content over the internet, that more than 13,000 households still watch their favourite programmes on a black and white telly."

John Trenouth, a television and radio technology historian, said: "Although 13,202 monochrome licences may sound a lot, it's now a tiny percentage of the 25 million licensed viewers in the UK.

"The numbers of black and white TV sets in regular use has fallen dramatically over the past few years, hastened by the fact that it's now almost impossible to replace them and by the need to buy a suitable set-top box to continue to use them after digital switchover."

Do you still watch TV in black and white on a box you have had for years? Call us on 0116 222 4262.