THE number of homes in Gwent enjoying black and white TV drops to 52 in 2014.

Figures released by TV Licensing reveal black and white TV licences have dropped to 39 households in Newport, 5 in Cwmbran and 8 in Pontypool. Across the UK, the number of families watching on black and white TVs has dropped a further 12 per cent in the past year, with fewer than 12,000 sets now in use nation-wide.

At the turn of the millennium there were 212,000 black and white licences issued, but by 2003 that number had shrunk to 93,000. Today just 11,550 black and white licences remain in force across the UK with Newport containing the second highest amount of households who use black and white TV's in Wales.

Sara Jones, spokesperson for TV Licensing in Wales, said: “Today’s figures show, even in the digital age, more than 11,000 homes still watch their favourite programmes on black and white televisions. We may be on the brink of losing black and white sets to the history books, but older technology will always be replaced by exciting new ways of watching live.

"It’s important that no matter how you watch live TV, whether on a black and white set, or online, you’re correctly licensed to do so.”

The cost of a black and white TV Licence remains frozen at £49 until BBC Charter Review in 2016.