THREE district councils have been given power to recoup more than £250,000 in unpaid council tax bills and business rates.

Magistrates, sitting at Bishop Auckland yesterday, granted liability orders to Sedgefield, Wear Valley and Teesdale district councils, enabling them to recover tax debts.

Officers will now be able to call in bailiffs, make deductions from account holders' earnings, or start bankruptcy proceedings to salvage outstanding payments.

Sedgefield Borough Council was granted 365 orders to recover unpaid council tax and 53 for commercial rates, which together total more than £150,000 of debt owed to the authority.

Anne Main, senior council tax officer at Sedgefield, said: "Each authority issues bills, sends a reminder then a final notice for the total outstanding before applying for an order through the courts."

Wear Valley District Council will pursue more then £80,000 of unpaid bills - with 77 orders for £66,529.99 of council tax and £14,276.91 of unpaid business rates from seven companies.

Julie Dowson, Wear Valley's recovery manager, said: "It is our duty to those people who pay at the appropriate time to pursue those who do not."

Teesdale District Council secured 57 liability orders to recover £24,961.83 in outstanding council tax accounts and six for £11,716.86 of business rates.

Some of the debts dated back to 2001, but repayment arrangements previously agreed had not been met or officers had to trace debtors at new addresses