A restaurateur has been threatened with a £1,000 fine or court action if any customer watches TV on their mobile phone in her premises in a 'bullying' letter from the BBC TV Licensing body.

Neleen Strauss, the owner of the High Timber restaurant in central London, was sent the 'intimidating and aggressive' letter this week.

It explained how she could be liable for a fine of up to £1,000 or face court action if any customers watch live TV in her restaurant, as she does not have a TV (or TV licence) inside.

Neleen Strauss (pictured), the owner of the High Timber restaurant in central London, was sent the 'intimidating and aggressive' letter this week

The TV Licence rules state how if any battery operated equipment is plugged into the mains to watch or record TV programmes then that place must be licensed.

But Ms Strauss, who has owned High Timber for six and a half years, said it was not her job to monitor her customers' phones.

She was also angered by the bullying tone of the letter, which she felt undermined her business.

Speaking to MailOnline, she said: 'I am not happy about the way they presume I am in the wrong and are being aggressive.

'They are trying to intimidate and threaten my business. The reputation of my business will not be affected if I do not have a TV licence.

'My restaurant would not be enhanced or changed by having a TV licence or not. What's more important is the food, the hospitality, the staff.

'My customers are adults and can do what they want. Our job is to make them feel comfortable. We are not there to monitor what they are doing on their phones, tablets or laptops.'

A copy of the letter Ms Strauss received from the BBC TV Licensing, which she described as 'bullying'

She explained how the restaurant had a TV licence in 2011 for the Rugby World Cup, but had not had one since then.

She added how the eatery might get a TV licence for this year's forthcoming World Cup in England and had no problem paying the £145.50 fee.

'I have no issue with paying the fee, that's not what bothers me. What I take offence to is the phrase in bold at the top of the letter which gives off the impression they are so big and important.'

She added: 'We now live in a digital age where people are going to watch things on their phone and we can't monitor that. I am not going to pay.'

Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, told MailOnline: 'It is ludicrous to think that a business owner can dictate what their customers are doing on their own devices.

'Short of forcing everybody to hand over their iPhones upon entrance, it's impossible to see what a restaurateur could do to ensure that people weren't watching TV.

'This case only highlights that the Licence Fee looks increasingly out of date and needs to change with the times.'

In response, a TV Licensing spokesman said: 'The vast majority of people will be covered for this by their licence at home. TV Licensing has to operate within the law and this requirement arises because of the way the Regulations are written.'

Ms Strauss has owned the restaurant for six and a half years and said this was the first time it had happened

It comes as the BBC faces up to the most extensive changes in a generation.

A government green paper last week proposed radical reforms such as a changes to the television licence fee, scaling back the BBC's website and a review of the impartiality of its news service.

The BBC's royal charter expires at the end of the year and the paper has opened the door for the eventual scrapping of the licence fee, possibly after 2026.