Homeowner has to pay double council tax despite being flooded out of her home since Christmas

Last December is thought to have been the worst period for burst pipes since the big freeze of 2009 to 2010.

A homeowner has slammed Bradford Council for demanding council tax on her uninhabitable home as well as a flat she's had to move into after a frozen pipe burst.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, could be in the flat for another three months while repairs are done to her home, which was wrecked when water from burst pipes in the loft caused extensive damage last December. Bradford Council only gives a one month discount from council tax for homes that need major repair.

The woman, who is having to pay over £100 a month for the flat, pointed out the irony that if she was in prison she wouldn’t have to pay at all, as it’s one of the exemptions from council tax Bradford Council offers.

She said: "My house is uninhabitable at the moment and will remain so for months while damage from a burst pipe is put right.

"I'm happy to pay council tax on the temporary accommodation I'm renting while my home is a building site but it's unfair and unreasonable for me to have to pay council tax on both properties.

"Bradford Council only gives one month's grace for an empty property even if it's uninhabitable and takes the view that I should claim from my insurer. So I'm charged twice for local services as a resident and everyone's home insurance premiums go up?

"How is it fair that convicted criminals don’t have to pay when I’m paying twice through no fault of my own?”

Councils all have different rules – Liverpool will discount by 20 per cent for 12 months if a property is empty for major repairs, while neither Hull nor East Riding Councils offer discounts for repairs. Bradford Council can’t comment on individual cases, but confirmed the one month discount on unoccupied, unfurnished properties which are undergoing major work.