COUNCILS are calling out more bailiffs than ever to collect debt from poverty-stricken Britons, a charity revealed yesterday.

Local authorities in England and Wales unleashed “enforcement agents” on people’s homes 2.1 million times last year — a 16 per cent increase on 2013.

The most common reason given for the draconian action was to claim council tax arrears, followed by parking debts, according to the statistics compiled by the Money Advice Trust, which runs the National Debtline.

Barking and Dagenham, in London, proved to be the heaviest-handed council, sending out the bailiffs on 34,041 occasions — equivalent to 43 per cent of properties in the area.

Four of the worst offenders were London boroughs, indicating that soaring rent and stagnant wages are continuing to blight the city’s poorer residents.

“Bailiff action is not only harmful to those in arrears — it is also a poor deal for the council taxpayer,” said trust chief executive Joanna Elson.