£1,000 penalty for watching the World Cup!

World Cup fever is upon us! But if you're an avid footy fan who can't bear to miss one single match, you need to watch out for this fine....

The slight drawback to the World Cup is that many of us will have to work while the matches are taking place. As an attempt to get around this, many of us will therefore be hoping to watch the matches live on our office computers.

But while your top priority might be not getting caught by your boss, in fact, the bigger issue to be aware of is that you could unwittingly be getting your employer into a lot of trouble – in fact, you could land your employer with a hefty fine of up to £1,000.

The rules

To watch the football live – whether on television or on a computer – you will need a TV licence. A colour TV licence costs £145.50.

This means that if there are no televisions in your office, it’s pretty likely your employer will not have a TV licence. And that means that if you and your colleagues are watching the footy from your office computers, your company will be breaking the law.

That said, this is only the case for live matches. If you’re watching repeats of the World Cup matches on your computer, a TV licence won’t be required. But let’s face it, are many of us really going to be watching repeats? Surely it’s all about the live action!

Bending the rules

Fortunately, there is one way to get around all of this. And that’s to use your own personal laptop in the office. By doing this, you’ll be covered by the TV licence for your home – providing you have one of course.

That said, you’ll need to ensure your laptop battery is fully charged because if you need to charge it up and plug it in at the office, you will no longer be covered under your own TV licence and again, a fine could be winging its way over to your company.

Of course, you may also want to check with your employer that it’s acceptable for you to be using your own laptop to watch the footy at work. Even if you’re hoping you won’t get caught out and you’ve played by the TV licence rules, that doesn’t mean you won’t be penalised by your boss if he/she finds out!

World Cup bargains!

So that’s the rules sorted. Now let’s move onto the fun stuff.

It's not too late to grab a footy bargain, so where can you pick up the very best World Cup deals?

Entertainment

If you’re after a new television to enjoy the World Cup in its full glory, there’s currently £20 off this Bush 19 Inch HD Ready Digital LCD TV/DVD Combi for £129.99 at Argos.

And if you’re after something a little bigger, ASDA is offering this Sanyo 32 inch HD Ready LCD TV for £277, a saving of £110! Alternatively, this Hitachi 42 Inch Full HD Digital LCD TV has £200 off at Argos  for £399.99.

Moving onto laptops, at Comet, there’s currently £100 off this Acer Laptop at Tesco Direct which is now £359. And this Sony Vaio laptop has £71 off at £478 at Pixmania.com.

Barbecues

If you’re hosting a World Cup barbecue, check out Tesco Direct which is offering some great deals on barbecues. This Tesco 3 Burner Gas BBQ with Side Burner is now £149, saving you an impressive £80.

And at Argos, this 4 Burner Stainless Steel Gas BBQ has 50% off at £199.99. Or if you’re after something a little simpler, this Deluxe Charcoal BBQ is half price at £24.99.

Food and drink

You can’t have a party without food and drink! Luckily the supermarkets are packed full of offers right now.

Morrisons is offering a Big Match Meal deal for £5, for which you get 12 burgers, 12 buns, tortillas, dips and a bottle of Pepsi!

At Sainsbury’s, you can save 50% on a pack of Sizzlerz BBQ Feast Ultimate Burgers which are now just £1, and Linda McCartney Sausages have been reduced from £1.88 to £1. You can also save 99p on Bird’s Eye Arctic Roll which is now £1.

Related blog post

• Serena Cowdy writes:

  Frugal Food - 11 June 2010

  This week we bring you new and extended restaurant deals from Pizza Express, GBK, Zizzi, STRADA, La Tasca, ASK, Ha ha bar & grill, Café Giardino, Auberge, Azzurro and Toby Carvery. Phew! We also have a new M&S ‘Dine In’ deal, £1 Terry’s Chocolate Oranges, half price Haagen Dazs, a Big Match meal deal for £5, 25% off South African wine, some great World Cup beer offers, free Greggs snacks, a new discount code and tips on how and where to pick-you-own!

  Read this post

Alternatively, at ASDA you can pick up three packs of 10 fresh beef burgers for £10, two packs of BBQ chicken drumsticks for £3, 16 Birds Eye beef burgers for £3, and a pack of Quorn sausages for £1.72. There are also some top deals on ice cream, such as two packs of Magnums for £3.

Moving onto booze, ASDA is also offering some top deals. Three packs of 15 cans of Fosters, Carlsberg, John Smith’s Extra Smooth or Bulmer’s Cider are all £10. And you can also pick up three bottles of wine for £12.

Alternatively, at Tesco, you can pick up a 4-pack of Budweiser for £4, or two packs of 4 bottles of Guinness for £6. You can also get your hands on three bottles of wine for £10. And if you really fancy celebrating, you can save £10 on a bottle of Champagne Francois Dubois Non Vintage Brut which is now £16.

Fashion

If you’re still looking for some last minute footy fashion, the supermarkets are likely to be your best bet once again.

Tesco has footy T-shirts from just £3.50, caps from £7, and flipflops from £4. ASDA has T-shirts from £6 and pyjamas from £7. And Sainsbury’s has kids’ T-shirts from £2.50.

Finally, if you’re after the official England shirt, ASDA had been offering the cheapest shirts, but at £25 apiece, they sold quickly and appear to have sold out online – but make sure you check your local store. Sports direct.com, meanwhile, is selling the shirts for £35.

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