A pensioner who is dying of cancer has refused to pay her council tax and says she is prepared to spend her final days in jail.

Joanne Wilkins, 77, of Preston Park, Brighton, has cancelled her £62.64 direct debit and says she is prepared for the consequences even if it means she has to die in prison.

Pensioners' organisations have warned she is just one of a growing number of elderly people forced to take desperate measures as they struggle to make ends meet.

Mrs Wilkins, who has two great grandchildren, said: "My council tax has gone up at a much greater rate than my pension. It's made my blood boil. The council tax increase seems to be about three times as much as the pension increase. It's not enough to live on."

Council tax bills in Brighton and Hove have risen by £390.46 - or 47 per cent - in the last five years. The average state pension has gone up from £72.50 in 2001 to £82.05, a rise of just 13 per cent.

Mrs Wilkins said: "I wouldn't mind paying council tax if it was kept it down but it keeps rising every year.

"I am using my savings but the money is going to run out eventually. I wouldn't mind paying a little bit, maybe £10, if the system was fair but it isn't. It doesn't seem right."

Mrs Wilkins was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in August 2000. She has had her spleen removed and is undergoing chemotherapy but doctors cannot say how long she has to live.

She added: "I don't care if I go to prison because I am dying anyway. I have got nothing to lose - they can't do anything to me. I just want to make a stand before I go."

Mrs Wilkins, who used to sell antique jewellery, said she and her husband, John, would save a little money each week.

She said: "I have saved up to have comfortable old age but now I feel like we did it all the wrong way round. Instead of buying our own house we should have lived in a council house and spent our money while we had it."

Her council tax bill increased by £11 in April this year and she said her water and gas bills have also gone up.

Earlier this year Terry Reilly, 67, of Maple Close, Burgess Hill, appeared before magistrates for failing to pay a £32.15 bill.

His state pension went up by £55 in a year while his council tax increased by £160.

Instead of paying by direct debit, Mr Reilly sent Mid Sussex District Council ten cheques totalling £105.60, in line with his pension increase.

He has been threatened with bankruptcy proceedings, bailiffs and a three-month jail sentence but has heard nothing from the council since paying his court costs.

He is expecting a second court summons next March after again refusing to pay part of his council tax.

An Age Concern spokesman said: "While council tax bills have rocketed in recent years, increases to the state pension have stayed disgracefully low. It is shameful many older people feel they have no choice but to go to jail in protest.

"We have long called for this unfair system to be replaced by one that reflects people's ability to pay."

Christine Melson, founder of Is It Fair, said she had heard from dozens of pensioners in Sussex who were also willing to take drastic action.

She said: "There are a lot of people who are saying they intend to do something. It will take a long time before people actually go to jail but we know they are willing to."

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said: "No one wants to see an old lady in a poor state of health go to prison over something like this and the council would ask her to reconsider her decision.

"There is help available for people who have difficulty paying their council tax including benefits for people on low income, housing benefits and single occupier concessions. Call the council's tax office on 291291 for help and advice."

Are you refusing to pay your council tax? Write to The Argus, Argus House, Crowhurst Road, Hollingbury, Brighton, BN1 8AR, or email news@theargus.co.uk