BARKING and Dagenham council has written off more than �2.7million in bad debts from April 2008 to March 2009. The staggering sum of money was amassed through unpaid council tax, business rates, rent and other service charges over the last financial year

BARKING and Dagenham council has written off more than �2.7million in bad debts from April 2008 to March 2009.

The staggering sum of money was amassed through unpaid council tax, business rates, rent and other service charges over the last financial year.

At the beginning of 2009 the amount of unrecovered money escalated, with residents chalking up �1.4million of debt in just three months.

This is more debt than was incurred throughout the previous nine months when a total of �1.3million was written off by the council.