COUNCIL tax payers in Bolton are being chased for "missed" payments after a computer glitch left town hall coffers thousands of pounds light.

Around 500 residents have been contacted by letter explaining that the computer fault had stopped money being debited from bank accounts and asking them to make a direct payment.

A council spokesman said a full investigation had been launched to track down the source of the problem.

One disgruntled resident said: "It's bad enough having to pay in the first place but all this messing around is a real nuisance.

"Some people might have spent the money without realising it hadn't gone out and it looks as though it's now up to us to send them a cheque.

"It's up to them to get it sorted out as soon as possible. I personally think we should be let off."

A council spokesman said: "Due to a technical problem a number of Council Tax direct debits were not paid in December. This was not the fault of the customers and we have written to them to explain what happened.

"It has affected only a small fraction of people. We are now working to correct the problem and hope the system will be working for January payments."