Lewes District Council tax demands for £600 sent out in error

Lewes District Council said 1,181 bills were sent out in error

Council tax payers in parts of East Sussex say they have been getting demands for extra payments, some for hundreds of pounds.

Lewes District Council said it had had problems with its computer system in December, with some people being sent incorrect bills.

The council said the issue has been fixed, and it has contacted those affected.

One resident said online she was "in tears" after receiving a bill for £630.

Another posted on Facebook: "I had a letter from them saying they were going to take £208 from my bank account on 1 February.

"Money is tight as it is on my pension so I don't know how they expect me to pay it in one go."

'Incredibly stressful'

The council's opposition leader, Lib Dem James MacCleary, told BBC Radio Sussex: "The last thing a lot of people needed to be told, right after Christmas, was they needed to give about £600.

"It's been incredibly stressful, but where people have reported it the council has been in touch with them directly and those issues should be getting sorted out."

In a statement, Lewes District Council said: "A system error created the problem in some of the council tax bills we issued on the 18 December and this has now been put right."

The council said 1,181 bills had been sent out with "a few" having incorrect figures in them.

"We wrote to every customer on 21 December drawing their attention to the issue.

"We have since spoken to a small number of people who have contacted us and our officers are continuing to carry out thorough checks."

The council has asked for anyone with concerns over their council tax bills to contact them.

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