MORE than 45,000 people in south Hampshire have been taken to court by their council for failing to pay their council tax, new figures have revealed.

Data published by the Liberal Democrats show that 45,421 households across five local authority areas - Southampton, Eastleigh, Gosport, New Forest and Winchester - received court summonses in the past year after falling into arrears, while 18,722 were visited by bailiffs and 21 were pursued for bankruptcy.

A breakdown showed that by far the largest number of court summonses - 26,965 - were sought by Southampton City Council, which also sent bailiffs round to 7,860 households and pursued bankruptcy on five occasions since 2007/08.

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The Lib Dems, which acquired the figures by using freedom of information legislation, called for all public bodies, including local authorities and government departments, to follow a Code of Conduct to ensure that families were not bankrupted unnecessarily during the recession.

Local Government spokeswoman Julia Goldsworthy said the figures showed the "devastating effect that failing to pay council tax can have on families, especially those already struggling to cope with mortgage repayments and rising bills".

She said: "Just as lenders are being asked to reduce repossessions, public bodies should do everything they can to ensure that bankruptcy is only ever a last resort.

"This is not a licence to avoid paying bills, it is about ensuring that court appearances and bankruptcy are avoided where possible."