Dozens of BBC presenters face being forced to settle substantial tax bills after a tribunal ruled that a news anchor must pay more than £400,000.

Christa Ackroyd, 60, hosted the regional news programme Look North for 12 years and was paid as a contractor through a personal service company to minimise her tax bills.

HMRC argued, however, that from 2006 to 2013 she was effectively a BBC employee and was therefore liable for £419,151 in unpaid income tax and national insurance.

A first-tier tax tribunal yesterday found in favour of HMRC and ordered the presenter to pay the bill. The tribunal judge said: “We do not consider that Ms Ackroyd could fairly be described as being in business on her own account.” The ruling is