A PIRATE radio DJ thrown off the airwaves after a raid at his home in Dorchester is vowing to be on the airwaves once again.

Single dad James Wilson, 26, was running the illegal radio station Bad Influence FM for five months before the communications regulator Ofcom raided his flat this month and took the station off air.

He said: “I am a DJ – I’ve been a DJ for about 15 years in clubs and other places.

“The station was great because it catered for young people and everyone got really involved.

“It was underground music aimed towards the young people of the town and we had loads of fans listening to us.

“I loved it – we had a lot of feedback and support from people and that kept us going really because it was quite a commitment.”

James and his team of DJs broadcast for around 12 hours a day on the 108fm frequency from James’ family flat in Peveril Avenue West.

Ofcom raided the flat and removed the pirate radio station from air, taking with them the transmitter, the decks and other equipment.

Now James and his team want to go for a legal community FM licence despite the fact that James could face charges in court, an unlimited fine or even time in prison.

He said: “We now want to come together as a community project and come back legally – after all there’s nothing like what we were offering for the young people in the area.”

A spokesman for Ofcom said that anyone convicted of an offence is barred from working for a legitimate radio station for five years.

Last year Ofcom raided 26 studios and undertook 432 enforcement actions – this largely means taking down illegal radio antennas. There were 39 successful convictions.