THE BBC wasted £235,000 of licence payers’ cash on taxi, train and hotel bookings that were never used.

Some 2,511 rail tickets, 324 rooms and 1,581 taxis were paid for but cancelled — with no refund able to be claimed.

2

2

Aborted train trips have cost £140,000 over the past five years.

Cancelled hotel bookings added another £70,000, while abandoned taxi journeys came to £25,000.

It means the BBC — under fire over licence fee rises — wasted £1,250 per week on transport and accommodation which nobody used.

Last year, each unused cab cost the broadcaster an average of £17, cancelled train tickets cost around £65 each, while the hotel bookings stood at £106 each, Freedom of Information request figures show.

The number of unused hotel rooms alone rose from 32 five years ago to 79 last year.

Tim Scott, of the Freedom Association, said: “With its compulsory, guaranteed income, it’s no wonder the BBC can apparently afford to waste so much public money.”

The licence fee was increased by £10.50 a year to £169.50 in April, to the fury of campaigners.

The BBC said: “As a 24 hour international broadcaster, a significant amount of travel is inevitable and the nature of our work means plans can change at short notice.

“We are always mindful of costs.”