A BLACKBURN woman’s feeble excuse for not having a TV licence has been declared one of the most ridiculous from across Lancashire in the last year.

The woman’s weak attempt to justify her evasion was revealed in an annual collection of excuses in the county.

The woman, who is not named, told an incredulous licensing officer: “I’m just looking after the goldfish and it can’t remember what it was watching on TV.”

It was one of the many absurd real-life excuses given to TV Licensing by people in Lancashire caught watching TV or BBC iPlayer in the last year.

One woman in Blackpool told an official: “I watch only adverts - I don’t need a TV licence for that.”

Another evader claimed: “It’s only for the dog, it stops him howling when I’m out.” Another said: “I don’t need a licence, I have a shotgun.”

A TV Licensing spokesman said: “A licence is needed not just for watching and recording live TV but for watching or downloading BBC programmes on iPlayer.”