Netflix says it has begun sending emails to UK customers who are sharing their accounts with people “outside their household”.

The streaming giant said a Netflix account was “for use by one household” and those wanting to share theirs must pay £4.99 to do so.

It comes after the company, which has lost subscribers amid stiffer competition and rising inflation, began a crackdown on account sharing last year in countries including Chile, Costa Rica and Peru.

On Tuesday, Netflix posted a statement online which read: “Starting today, we will be sending this email to members who are sharing Netflix outside their household in the United Kingdom.

“A Netflix account is for use by one household.

“Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are – at home, on the go, on holiday – and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices.

“We recognise that our members have many entertainment choices.

“It’s why we continue to invest heavily in a wide variety of new films and TV programmes – so whatever your taste, mood or language and whoever you’re watching with, there’s always something satisfying to watch on Netflix.”

An attached screenshot of the email detailed ways customers could share their accounts.

These included allowing users to “transfer a profile” to a “new membership that they pay for” or buying an extra member for the price of £4.99 extra per month.

Netflix has changed its tune since joking on Twitter that “Love is sharing a password” as it was quickly expanding in the UK in 2017.