Debt charity Step Change said it had witnessed a 372% increase in the amount of people falling behind on council tax payments.

The amount owed was typically £832, its report said.

It said council were increasingly turning to direct enforcement using bailiffs and court action rather than formulating repayment plays with struggling residents.

Step Change said in 2010 it was contacted by 13,353 people who were in arrears with their local council, this had ballooned to 63,016 by 2014.

The amount owed by a typical person contacting the organisation is also up, rising from £675 to £832.

It said changes to council tax benefits and the rising cost of other household bills is forcing more people into financial trouble.

People trying to find amicable solutions were still pursued by their local authority using aggressive tactics. After speaking to their council some 62% of people were threatened with court action while only 25% were offered an affordable repayment plan.

Mike O’Connor, chief executive of Step Change, said using court orders or bailiffs should be an action of last resort, yet many councils did not see it that way.

“It is shocking that many councils are less likely to be helpful to people in debt than banks are, and are more likely to take people to court,” he said.

“The growth in people struggling with their council tax bills is only outstripped by growth in problems caused by payday loans.

“Councils need to pursue debts but they must have a responsible and proportionate approach to dealing with people in arrears and not default to aggressive enforcement that often only serves to deepen debt problems.

“There are examples of good practice such as Leeds City Council but all too often public authorities are neither behaving as responsibly as they should or using the best strategy to recover debt.”