A charity has called for tougher regulation of bailiffs, as it calculated that households have fallen behind on essential bills by £18.9bn. Arrears on these bills, such as council tax, have risen by 40% from the £13.5bn owed in 2011-12, Citizens Advice said. Over the same period, the proportion of calls for help regarding bailiffs had risen significantly, it said. But councils said they had a duty to collect taxes to protect services, and bailiffs said they were rarely used. Regular calls

Bailiffs are typically used by creditors, on the authority of the courts, to seize property if people with debts fail to pay what they owe. Citizens Advice said it was getting a call from someone needing help owing to bailiffs every three minutes. It is calling for a bailiffs regulator in England and Wales. It points to a case of an elderly couple who owed £700 in council tax who are now afraid to open their front door after bailiffs used aggressive tactics and threatened to call in the police. It also highlighted the case of a man receiving cancer treatment who missed a £30 parking fine then found bailiffs had got into his home and were removing possessions.

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