Those who watch live television on the mobile phones with a new BBC app are unlikely to be prosecuted for not having a television license watchdogs have admitted.

The TV Licensing Authority has said that it does not have the necessary equipment to catch licence dodgers who watch television on their mobile devices such as iPhone, iPads and Androids.

A free app which launches today allows users to watch live television whilst they are on the move.

Under the regulations users must have a TV licence if they watch television as the programmes are being broadcast but do not require one for watching previously broadcast shows.

A TV Licencing spokesman told The Daily Telegraph, “There is no separate enforcement strategy (to cover iPlayer consumption), we continue to focus our attention on the small minority of unlicensed addresses.”

Analysts say that numbers watching online is growing dramatically and it is an issue the Licensing Authority will have to address if the BBC licence system is to be sustained.