Rockers Depeche Mode rejected an offer to receive a lifetime achievement honour at the 2013 Brit Awards after learning they would not be accepting the prize during the ceremony's Tv broadcast.

Frontman Dave Gahan reveals the cult electronic pop act, which formed in 1980, was approached by Brits bosses just days after his bandmate Andy Fletcher appealed for awards organisers to recognise the group's longrunning success with the top gong at the annual February (13) prizegiving.

He said, "We'd like to be offered, though whether we'd accept it is another thing... Quite a lot of people who previously won it said we should've got it. I don't know why we don't get considered."

Fletcher's wish came true soon after making his feelings known, but the trio ended up snubbing the award after discovering the band would not be featured in the main televised ceremony.

Gahan tells British newspaper The Sun, "F**k the Brits. I will probably get someone in trouble, but we were told we were getting a new award this year. Most Influential Band In The Last 20 Years or something? Basically the old b**tard, Lifetime Achievement Award and we said, 'Yes that's cool'.

"Then we heard through the grapevine ITv (network bosses) wouldn't broadcast our segment. So we said, 'If they won't play us on air, then we're not going to be their most influential band.' How many other bands have had as many hits as us worldwide and been around for as long? F**k them then and b**locks to it."

No lifetime achievement award was handed out at the 2013 ceremony.

Depeche Mode aren't the only artists to turn their backs on the Brit Awards - Noel Gallagher has vowed to boycott the event in future after claiming last month's (Feb13) ceremony was "instantly forgettable".