TV licence dodgers in Oxford had better watch out -- the number of detection officers working in the city has trebled.

Oxford had one of the worst records for TV licence evasion in the South of England last year, prompting a recruitment drive by TV Licensing.

Detector teams will now be able to knock on an extra 750 doors each week.

Between January and June last year, 675 people were caught in Oxford watching TV without a licence.

The proportion was much greater than in similar cities, such as Cambridge, where 270 were caught, and Reading, where 451 were found.

One reason for the high figure was the fleet of unmarked detector vans launched on the city's streets last year.

TV Licensing spokesman Vanessa Wood said the detection teams, bolstered by the new additions, would target homes at peak viewing times.

She said: "We always prefer people to buy a licence rather than be prosecuted. We're urging those evaders to avoid a possible trip to court and a fine of up to £1,000 by buying a licence before they get caught.

"We also understand that there are some people who genuinely struggle to pay for the licence in one lump sum or quarterly.

"We have schemes which allow those on income-related benefit to pay in weekly or fortnightly cash instalments."

Figures showing the number of licence evaders caught during the second half of last year will be released next month.