A COUNCIL tax blunder has left thousands of East Hampshire residents asking why two payments were withdrawn from their accounts in one of the most costly months of the year.

Residents throughout the district have been confused by bank statements which show two council tax charges being taken out of their account in December.

This is because East Hampshire District Council's contractor, WS Atkins, mistakenly withdrew standing order payments early, on December 31, instead of the agreed date of January 1.

It is the second time in 10 months that a council tax foul-up has caused concern among taxpaying residents.

In March last year people got a bigger shock than they were expecting when bills dropped on their doormats.

The district council was flooded with complaints from people claiming that the incorrect amounts had been shown on the bills for the first instalment in April.

A fault in a contractor's computer billing system was blamed for that mistake. Residents received a letter of apology from EHDC and the errors were put right.

But now a mix-up in the collection of the final instalment means the council could have to fork out a large amount of money for the error.

The blunder left many angry residents with charges for overdrawing, which will be refunded by WS Atkins, who won the contract to handle EHDC's council tax service.

One Petersfield resident, who asked not to be named, told The Herald: "When I checked my statement I realised that I had two council tax charges in December. This means I will receive a fine for going overdrawn.

"I went into my High Street bank to ask the clerk, who told me East Hampshire District Council had made a computing error. The charge for January had been withdrawn before the standing order date.

"The clerk told me she had dealt with lots of people with the same problem, including one woman who was irate."

She added: "December is an expensive month for many people with Christmas and the new year to deal with, so this mistake will come at a bad time for many residents."

Thousands of residents will still be unaware of the mix-up, including those who receive quarterly statements from their bank.

Revenue service manager for WS Atkins Pamela Stubbs told The Herald that the problem was due to a "clerical error".

She said the company will reimburse any council tax or business ratepayers who have been charged for the premature withdrawal.

She said: "We very much regret the inconvenience and I would like to reassure people that office procedures have been reviewed to make sure that it does not happen again."

Anyone who has been financially affected by the error should contact the district council with documents to prove they have been charged.

District councillor for Petersfield Teresa Jamieson said: "Mistakes on council tax are not acceptable because it can cause hardship for people.

"However, I am pleased that WS Atkins are reviewing their procedures and I hope that it won't happen again in the future."