A CAMELFORD business with just one full time and one part time member of staff has been told to pay an annual licence fee of £120 or face prosecution for listening to the radio while they work.

Avian Sandercock has run a small printing company in Camelford for the past two and a half years. He is supported by a part time employee who works one or two days a week.

Mr Sandercock said: "We do not play music, we have Radio 4 on in the background to assist with our sanity!"

Last week Mr Sandercock was contacted by the Performing Rights Society who informed him that new legislation meant if he did not "buy" a licence for £120, he would have to remove the radio or face prosecution.

Mr Sandercock commented: "I'd understand it if I had 50 guys in a factory. Fair enough. Francis pops in and out, but usually it's just me in front of a computer on my own. It seems harsh."

He added: "It's only £120 a year but that's another £120 you've got to find."

He continued: "Whilst supporting the role of the PRS where music or performance is an integral part of a business, ie to entertain customers or to promote a business, event or venue, surely this piece of legislation is both inflexible and rather misguided in the current climate.

"Clearly, changes in the sale and distribution of music has had a big impact on the PRS and its work and I am sure their big offices in the West End, which are expensive to operate, as are the legions of telephone enforcement officers, to demand payment from struggling small businesses to top up their coffers is smacks of political sleight of hand.

"They have systematically failed to tackle the corporate abusers and have resorted to picking soft targets by imposing this threat on the small businesses of the country rather than tackle the big internet firms and music forgers.

"Surely there must be a re-think of this legislation to ensure that business continues to support the work they aim to do rather than alienate the many small operators in my position."

Mr Sandercock had been in contact with the Federation of Small Businesses who he said were "lobbying the government hard to get some common sense in there." He was also going to raise the issue at the next meeting of the Camelford Chamber of Commerce.

He said: "I'm sure a lot of businesses will start to get phone calls as they work their way through the directories."