Christopher Blount (33), of Shaw Street, owed Amber Valley Borough Council £1,227 and was jailed for 21 days following a hearing at South Derbyshire Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

At an earlier court hearing in March, he was given a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £30 a fortnight to clear the debt — but only made one payment.

Martin Hendy, revenue services manager at the council, said: "Despite the threat of imprisonment, Mr Blount made no effort whatsoever to pay his outstanding debt, leaving us with no option but to return to court, where the sentence was imposed.

"Whilst we would always prefer to recover any Council Tax arrears without the need for court action, we do have a duty to collect all unpaid Council Tax and will take whatever steps are necessary to recover any outstanding amounts."

He added prison was always a last resort and urged people facing problems with paying the tax to contact the authority.

The council's recovery office can be contacted on 01773 841445.