An army veteran said was ‘beside himself’ after receiving a letter telling him his TV would be turned off for the sake of a 1p debt.

George Sirrell, 93, owed the money because the cost of his licence went up and he didn’t notice for a month.

He was told he would not be allowed to watch TV unless he paid the 1p he owed before February 24 – despite the letter arriving after that date.

His granddaugher, Michelle Foster, described the threat as ridiculous and that his TV was all he had since his wife’s death 12 years ago.

The mum-of-two, from County Durham, said: ‘When I saw it I just thought it was ridiculous. He’s beside himself over a penny and he thinks it’s too late to make it right.

‘He’s really worried about it. He thinks they’re going to turn his TV off and the thought of an enforcement officer at the door is scary.

‘He can’t go anywhere so the telly is all he’s got most of the time. I don’t want him to get stressed.’

She added the tone of the letter was unpleasant, particularly as it was sent to a pensioner.

She said: ‘The letter they sent wasn’t very nice. It has a bad undertone. I think it’s disgusting to send out letters to pensioners with that tone.

‘I think they should take into account his age and the amount. I’m hoping they can sort it out before they send someone around his house to demand the 1p.

‘He’s always had a TV licence and he’s never missed a bill. He’s worked hard all his life. I think it’s ridiculous that he has to pay for a TV licence at his age anyway.’

The letter from the TV licensing authorities said: ‘Dear Mr Sirrell, we have not received the last 3 monthly payments for your TV Licence.

‘Please pay £0.01 before 24 February 2023 to get back on track with your plan. If we have not received this amount by the above date, we will have to remove you from the 75+ Plan and cancel your TV Licence.’ 

It’s believed the great-great-grandad didn’t notice his monthly fee was increasing from £13.88 to £13.89 in October so only began paying the hiked fee in November.

The penny has been outstanding on his account since but because he’s continued to pay monthly via his licence payment card, he ignored a warning letter last month thinking it was sent in error.

TV Licensing has now confirmed George’s licence had not been revoked as the payments were now ‘up to date’

A TV Licensing spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that the customer’s TV licence has not been revoked or cancelled.

‘The letters he received were automatically generated because of late payments, but this has now been resolved and the account is up to date.

‘We have also contacted his granddaughter to offer further assistance.’

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