A PENSIONER taken to court to force him to pay his council tax has vowed he will not be held to ransom.

Fred Estall, 80, says he will only pay at the rate which was charged before council chiefs introduced inflation-busting hikes of up to 15 per cent last year.

The war veteran, who stood for election to Eastleigh Borough Council for the UK Independence Party last May, was summoned to Southampton Magistrates' Court after he stopped paying his tax in October.

Magistrates ordered him to pay the £452 he owed Eastleigh Council with a charge of £30 to cover their costs.

Mr Estall, who claimed the charge was "totally unfair" because he had not received letters warning him he would be summoned to court, has agreed to pay the taxes.

The grandfather-of-two, who lives in Foord Road, Hedge End, has vowed, however, that he will only pay the amount of tax he paid before the increases introduced last April.

He said: "I'm going to pay my tax at last year's rate and ignore the extra 17 per cent they've added.

"We've lost the first skirmish in the battle but the battle goes on. We're hoping to find people who will say 'we're not paying this increase'.

"There are thousands of us out there and they can't sue thousands of us. We're hoping it will cause chaos."

Meanwhile, Mr Estall, who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, is one of thousands of pensioners around the country who could be given a helping hand by a new political party.

The Senior Citizens' Party, which will be officially launched next Thursday, is planning to set up a fund for pensioners who refuse to pay council tax.

Founder Grahame Leon-Smith said: "I think pensioners are quite right to complain about the council tax. It's one of the most inequitable taxes in existence."

Plans for the fund are in its early stages but Mr Leon-Smith said: "If a senior citizen is threatened with being put in jail the Senior Citizens' Party would launch an appeal to raise cash to defend them."

A spokesman for Eastleigh Borough Council said: "We understand Mr Estall's concerns about increasing council tax bills.

"The borough council staff will now be contacting Mr Estall and requesting the payment of the outstanding sum to avoid the need for any further legal action.

"If people don't pay then the burden falls on those who do."