A TV licence enforcement officer turned journalist has revealed all in a fascinating first hand account.
LancsLive reporter Amy Fenton joined Capita TV Licensing after she finished sixth form college in 2003 before working there while continuing her studies. Amy started in the call centre, then joined the team in Liverpool, before moving to a patch across south and central Lancashire.
Amy has now revealed all in a first hand account that documents a range of "unforgettable experiences" including being assaulted, locked in a room, and being falsely accused of running over a child. Here's Amy explaining her time as an enforcement officer in her own words, first published on Lancslive.
READ MORE: Road closed and man on roof arrested after police chase
After seeing the TV on through the front window, I returned to my car and I realised I'd made a mistake.
An irate resident had followed me down the path. She was now leaning through the window trying to steal my paperwork. Then smack . She punched me in the face.
One of the first things you learn as a TV Licence enforcement officer. Always lock your car door.
It's a topic which attracts strong opinions. Whether you agree with it or not, and irrespective of what might happen in the future to the controversial fee, if you want to watch telly, a TV licence remains a legal obligation. Refusal to pay can lead to a fine of up to £1,000.
But, as someone who worked as an enforcement officer for three years, it's clear that there are many grey areas for the majority of the public. When I finished sixth form in Blackburn in 2003 I decided to take a year out of education before starting at university.
I had just bought a house with my then boyfriend and cancelled my place at Durham University. Growing up in Darwen, I knew many people who worked at Capita TV Licensing, based at India Mill. Capita is a major employer in East Lancashire and so it seemed the natural move to apply for a job there.
I started off in the call centre, taking phone calls from customers who needed to renew or check the details of their TV licence. It was 'just a job' but as someone who loves meeting people and 'getting out and about' I was instantly drawn to the position of enforcement officer.
I joined what was then the Liverpool team and was welcomed by a group of mainly male, ex-military or retired police officers, who were perhaps somewhat bemused that this teenage girl was joining their ranks. I was trained up by a Liverpudlian called Lol (Lawrence) who was remarkably patient and who told me then when visiting certain areas of Liverpool officers had to work 'in twos' because of the dangers involved.
My 'patch', once I had completed my training, covered the majority of south and central Lancashire and every couple of weeks I would be sent a batch of 'visits' with details of each unlicensed address and any names or previous occupants' information. I regularly visited Preston - my main 'hunting ground' as well as Chorley, Leyland, Bamber Bridge, Southport and Wigan.
As a (relatively) young enforcement officer, and as someone who no doubt looked as far from an 'official' debt collecting-type, I often found people were happy to open the door to me, only to discover the nature of my visit. On one occasion in Leyland in fact, and this is 100 per cent true, a woman once opened the door to me and said 'I'm afraid Eloise isn't playing out tonight' so I must have looked even younger than I was.
The job was incredibly well-paid, and I could sometimes double my wage with commission earned from the sale of a TV licence, but it wasn't without its risks and drawbacks. I remember visiting one terraced house in Chorley, seeing the TV was on through the window, but nobody answered the door.
I returned to my car, making the new-starter mistake of not locking my door once I got in, to then have an irate and aggressive woman pull open my door, attempt to steal my paperwork and punch me in the face. I somehow managed to shut the door and raced to the police station.
As I waited for an officer to come to interview me the irate woman who assaulted me suddenly walked through the door - no doubt suspecting I had gone there and perhaps going to give them a false account. Suffice to say I panicked and leapt over the front counter to safety.
On another occasion, in Great Harwood, I was invited inside a man's house to 'inspect it' after he told me he didn't have a TV. Whenever anyone says this to an enforcement officer we have to ask if we can look inside (as more often than not they would be lying). After a cursory glance downstairs, and spotting no television, I was making my way to leave when the man said 'hang on, you need to look upstairs too'.
My naivety led to me saying 'ok' and I walked up the stairs with the man behind me. At the landing I was trying to turn round to go back downstairs and make a sharp exit when he then said 'you need to check the front bedroom'. Stupidly, I did, and as I entered the room I heard the door close behind me. Stunned, I couldn't think of anything to say other than 'I'm going now' and fortunately he opened the door.
A third unforgettable experience happened during a visit to Accrington. I was driving down a cobbled street when, all of a sudden, a group of youngsters at the side of the road pushed a small child, maybe aged about three or four, in front of my car. I jumped out, horrified, but before I could get to him a group of adults came running out of a terraced house and rather roughly began pulling at his arms and legs (I presume to check they weren't broken).
The now sizeable group of people assured me he was fine and told me to be off on my way. I managed to drive about 10 metres when I stopped and thought to myself 'something's not right here'. As I called 999 to report the incident I spotted one of the youths walking up to the back of my car and taking a picture on his phone. I got out and said 'what are you doing?' to which he replied 'you drove off after hitting that boy'.
The call handler heard every word. She said 'don't worry, I've got your details, this has happened before in that street. You're ok to go'.
Of course I must point out that we had very intensive training, particularly around safety and well-being, and my bosses were incredibly supportive towards me after these incidents. I am in no way suggesting they were anyone's fault other than the people involved.
Some streets, estates and towns were 'better' than others. You would know if, for example, you had a visit for a very big, fancy house that you would likely find it was either empty or the occupants had just moved house and hadn't changed the address on their licence yet. On the other hand, I always relished receiving a big batch of visits for a huge estate in Wigan as I knew I would likely come away having sold as many as 30 licences in a day.
Despite the odd unfortunate incident, and having to contend with the weather, I actually really enjoyed my time as an enforcement officer. It suited my university schedule perfectly as I could choose as and when I went out working (and in fact evenings were more productive as people were more likely to be at home). However much I might have enjoyed it though, it didn't deter me from following my dream of becoming a reporter, as I happily am now.
READ NEXT:
Angry yob bottled wrong man on train after being headbutted
Disturbing mobile footage caught man attacking four-month-old puppy
Mum knew back pain was sign of deadly disease before devastating diagnosis
Boy, 4, 'in tears' after being told he cannot board Ryanair flight to visit nan
Mum transforms south Liverpool semi into monochrome dream home
