A MOTHER of two has been jailed for 23 days for failing to pay her council tax. Sarah Endersby was jailed after originally being found guilty in March 2007 of failing to pay council tax of £2,367. Originally Endersby, of 5 Curf Terrace, Chatteris, was sen

A MOTHER of two has been jailed for 23 days for failing to pay her council tax.

Sarah Endersby was jailed after originally being found guilty in March 2007 of failing to pay council tax of £2,367.

Originally Endersby, of 5 Curf Terrace, Chatteris, was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment, suspended by payment of £60 a month. Over the intervening 15 months only £235 was paid. A further hearing was held in June this year where the order was amended to £15 a month as Endersby was in receipt of Income Support.

However Endersby only made one payment of £15.

A council spokesman said: "Neither the court nor the council could elicit payment from Mrs Endersby and magistrates were left with no option but to send her to prison.

"Fenland District Council gains no satisfaction from people going to prison for failing to pay council tax, particularly when they are a single parent.

"However, the authority has an obligation to collect council tax and in this case it had done all it could to resolve the arrears. Mrs Endersby's estranged husband is looking after the children while she is in prison."

The spokesman added that they offer assistance to customers who find themselves in arrears and would urge anyone with serious debt issues to speak to council officers. "By doing nothing, the debt is not going to go away and prison is an option available to the magistrates," said the spokesman.

n Fenland District Council has issued summons for 10 people to attend magistrates court for failing to pay council tax totalling more than £44,000. See this week's Fenland Eye -Page 30.