SEVERAL residents in Carlisle are still have a black and white TV licence - it has been revealed.

It comes as BBC One celebrates its 50th anniversary of colour television this week, bosses as TV Licensing revealed that several households across the city are continuing to watch programmes on black and white TV sets.

While the number of black and white licences has declined considerably through the years, latest figures have shown that a total of 6,586 black and white TV licences were still in force at the end of September - a fall of 575 compared to this time last year.

Of that grand figure, in Carlisle there are eight households that still have a black and white TV license.

The figures show that despite the rapid growth of smart TVs, smart phones and tablets to access TV content, a surprising number of households still appear to enjoy the nostalgia of monochrome TV sets.

They remain popular with collectors with vintage and portable TV sets regularly traded online.

A licence is still needed to watch live TV and stream BBC programmes on iPlayer on a black and white TV or monitor and costs £52.

But, if they are used to download BBC programmes on iPlayer or to record any live TV, then a colour TV Licence is needed.

Tim Downs, from TV Licensing's north of England office, said: “When BBC One launched its colour TV service in November 1969, there were only three channels available.

"Fast forward to 2019, and more than half (53 per cent) of TV households have in some way an internet connection to their TV and access to hundreds of channels.

“While only accounting for a very small proportion, it’s interesting to know that some households still like to watch their favourite shows on a black and white telly.”