Councils failed to collect almost £3 million from rent dodgers last year.

The black hole in finances has emerged as local authorities are introducing big council tax rises and comes despite a shortage of affordable housing.

The rent arrears backlog is revealed today in figures released to The Argus under the Freedom of Information Act.

The oustanding rent owed to Brighton and Hove City Council alone stands at £1.3 million. And the true picture is even worse as the figures do not include the millions still owed by former council tenants who never paid their rent.

Potential millions are also being lost through empty and unused homes.

Councillors admitted yesterday the growing arrears burden was pushing up the rent of hard-pressed families who paid up on time.

Crawley Borough Council was owed £697,438 at the end of the last financial year.

Eastbourne Borough Council has £332,804 outstanding.

Lewes District Council is owed £259,714, while Arun District Council is missing £277,000.

Adur District Council is down by £160,032, almost half the £302,219 arrears it was owed the previous year.

Francis Tonks, deputy chairman of the housing management sub-committee at Brighton and Hove City Council, said: "Unfortunately these arrears are going to be passed on to other tenants or council tax payers.

"Any people out of line put an increased burden on the rest. It's a shame and a pity but I'm afraid this is one of the problems we're having to deal with. It's difficult but the figures are getting better.

"There are people living in poverty, we have to realise that, but people still have to pay their bills. We are working to help people early on, before they get into a real mess with unpaid bills."

All councils reported losing about two per cent of their annual rent.

In Brighton, the council set up a debt-recovery team in 2005 in an attempt to stem the flow of tenants facing financial crisis.

Rent arrears have since dropped by 3.2 per cent and the ensuing court costs by 5.4 per cent.

However, only 96.5 per cent of rents were successfully collected in the financial year 2004 to 2005, less than in neighbouring councils.

Councillor Geoff Wells said: "It is about time we sorted this out - it's robbery really. They are thieves more than rent dodgers and it is those good people that pay their rent who are the ones having to foot the bill."

Council tax bills have doubled in Sussex in less than a decade. The average householder in Brighton and Hove is now being asked for £1,091.88 a year - compared with £547.28 when the Labour Government came to power in 1997.

It is a picture repeated all over the county.