Council tax bad debts totalling £252,592 were written off by Worthing Borough Council in the past year.

Councillors considered the figures last night when they were asked to write off thousands of pounds more that the council had been unable to collect.

The new totals include £3,472 in housing benefit overpayments, added to £10,158 already written off since March; £23,368 in council tax, in addition to the £252,592 already mentioned; and £182,671 in non-domestic rates, added to £29,695 written off in November.

Terry Cutler, of the borough treasurer's department, said with regards to council tax: "In each case the defaulter is insolvent, has died or has absconded without trace.

"Inevitably, there are a number of debts which will never be recovered and an appropriate bad debts provision is made in the council's accounts each year against the likelihood of non-payment.

"At the end of the last financial year, on March 31, 2002, the bad debt provision for council tax totalled £718,400.

"A total of 778 council tax debts totalling £252,592 have been written off since March.

"Considerable resources have already been expended in the effort to collect these arrears.

"Any further inquiries or enforcement action would not be cost effective."

With regards to housing benefit overpayments, the council pledged to retain records and pursue the claimants if they returned to Worthing.