Illegal football: ten pubs slapped with huge fines in major clampdown

The pubs fined represent a broad cross section of UK pubs, with licensees all the way from Pimlico, central London, to Shipley, West Yorkshire, to Washington, Tyne & Wear, among those targeted.

The heaviest fine was issued to the Lord Warden in Liverpool with the licensee ordered to pay £20,000 by the high court.

A spokesman for the Premier League said: "These actions are part of the largest anti-piracy campaign the Premier League has conducted to protect its copyright, and the investment from our UK live broadcasters, Sky Sports and BT Sport.

"Like other sports and creative industries, our model is predicated on the ability to market and sell rights and protect our intellectual property. It is because of this that clubs can invest in and develop talented players, build world-class stadiums, and support young people in schools and communities across the country – all things that fans enjoy and wider society benefits from."

Suppliers fined £267,000

As well as the fines for individual licensees, the suppliers of equipment for illegal sports coverage have been slapped with eye-watering bills.

Neosat has been been fined £100,000; Football for Pubs Limited from Liverpool has been issued with a £90,000 fine; and Pub Entertainment Systems from Royston, Hertfordshire will pay costs of £77,000. An injunction has also been issued against all three companies that stops them selling illegal devices.

The fines for suppliers follow the prosecution in December of a Nottingham supplier of illegal sport, who was jailed for four years in the first trial of its kind in the UK.