As far as I'm aware, English civil law is still based on the concept of the reasonable man. And that reasonable man would tell 'em to arseholes...
To win any action, PRS would have to prove, repeat, prove, that copyright material had been performed. They're also plaguing festivals. The fact is that live music in small venues is incredibly inconvenient for the profiteering establishment. They would prefer arena gigs and a strictly controlled world of recordings. As an MU member I fully appreciate how difficult it can be to make any sort of living, but this is not only bullshit, it's dishonest.
KYBTTS