The landlords of a Thornton Heath pub have been fined more than £10,000 for illegally showing football matches on Sky Sports.

Malachy and Sheila Gaughan, of The Prince George on High Street, were fined after being prosecuted by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), for illegally showing the programmes in their premises.

On March 30, the pair were convicted in their absence, of three offences of dishonest reception of a television transmission without a commercial viewing agreement.

They were ordered to pay a total of £10,430 in fines and costs.

Their prosecution comes as Sky cracks downs on landlords who are showing Sky in their pubs without having the correct viewing contract.

Stephen Gerrard, Prosecuting Manager at FACT said: "Our aim is to help create an effective deterrent to publicans who endeavour to fraudulently show Sky programmes on their premises.

"As numerous cases have shown we successfully pursue and prosecute dishonest licensees who are then faced with substantial fines, costs and a criminal record."

A spokesperson for Sky said: "This case demonstrates the seriousness of the issue as courts continue to deliver considerable penalties to licensees who televise Sky content illegally.

"Sky's ongoing support for FACT in prosecuting licensees who break the law demonstrates our commitment to protecting the interest of our legitimate subscribers."