FIGURES released today show that 20 black and white television licences are still in force in Wigan borough - 46 years after colour transmissions began.

TV Licensing statistics reveal that nationwide more than 13,000 households still have a black and white TV.

In 2000 there were 212,000 black and white TV licences issued, but by 2003 that number had shrunk to 93,000 and in 2006 the number was less than 50,000. At the start of 2013, just 13,202 black and white licenses were in force across the UK.

Lucy Baird, TV Licensing spokesperson for the North of England, 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, more than 13,000 households still watch their favourite programmes on a black and white telly.”