Almost 300 people in East Hampshire will have received liability orders for unpaid council tax in their Christmas post, court papers reveal.

East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) successfully sought liability orders against 286 defendants at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on 
December 6.

The total owed for December was £290,652.75, of which 7.2 per cent is due to EHDC. The rest goes to town and parish councils, Hampshire County Council and emergency services.

EHDC, the council tax- collecting authority in East Hampshire, eventually collects almost 99 per cent of council tax.

In a statement, the council said: “We are very conscious this is a difficult time financially and we are doing everything possible to help through our council tax support schemes and other discounts. Anyone experiencing financial issues should contact us as it is not too late to make an affordable payment arrangement. But if our reminders and notices are ignored, we must issue a court summons.”