Council tax dodgers' cars taken

The Jaguar will be kept in storage and auctioned next week

People who have failed to pay their council tax are having their vehicles taken to be sold to pay their debt.

Portsmouth City Council said the raids were aimed at its "worst offenders" who have the means to pay but refused to.

One man who owed nearly £2,500 had his Jaguar seized and another man paid more than £3,600 in cash when officials threatened to take his motor-home.

The local authority is owed more than £10m in outstanding council tax. It is planning to extend the crackdown.

During Wednesday's raids, officials put stickers on the cars to tell owners they had an hour to pay or bailiffs would take their vehicle away.

'Hit-list'

The Jaguar seized has now been put in storage to be auctioned and the owner has seven days to clear council tax debts of £2,341 and pay £225 in costs to have his car returned.

If he fails to do so the car will be sold at auction to cover the debt, with any remaining money being returned to the owner.

Julie Chaffey, the council's debt recovery project manager, said: "This morning's car-lifting operation was a first for us but it was a success.

The council is owed more than £10m in outstanding council tax

"One person paid up and another had his car seized. We are working hard to track down others on our list."

About 250 people are still on the council's "hit-list" of the city's major defaulters and the people being targeted had already been through the courts and still refused to pay.

"Apart from their council tax bill, they get two reminders, then a summons to court, then a court order, another reminder and two warnings from the bailiffs," Ms Chaffey added.

"We go out of our way to help if people genuinely have money problems.

"But if people are clearly able to pay and just refuse, then we will take steps like we did this morning.

"We have a duty to ordinary law-abiding residents who do pay their council tax. This is money that is badly needed to improve services such as education, social care and rubbish collection."

Council finance officers are now drawing up plans to deal the rest of its debtors in the same way.