AN error has meant 19,000 people in Worcester have had two council tax payments taken out of their accounts in the same month.

Worcester people who pay by direct debit may have been surprised to see their council tax – usually paid on the first of every month – go out on November 30, one day early.

Worcester City Council has said the change in date was due to a simple mistake, and promised to reimburse any bank charges.

Grahame Lucas, head of financial services at Worcester City Council, said the council had immediately moved to ensure the mistake – which was noticed almost as soon as it happened – did not happen again, but he said officers had not written to the thousands of people affected.

He said: “We have not sent out letters because it was only the one day early so we expected that for most people it will not be an issue. It would be difficult to know who the people affected would be.”

Pensioners Sylvia and Leighton Davies noticed the error – and the bank charge that resulted from it – on a bank statement.

Mrs Davies, 72, of Bromwich Road, Worcester, said: “November 30 we thought we’d go Christmas shopping so we checked the bank statement and, shock horror, we’re in the red.”

The charge has meant the Davies' putting off Christmas shopping until they next receive their pension.

Mrs Davies called the council, which said the charge would be refunded.

But she said: “It’s annoyed me really. We have an agreement and our council tax is to be paid on the first of the month. Stick to the agreement please.”

Mr Lucas said: “We put our hands up and say we made a boob. We have done 300,000 direct debits a year for the last 20 years, and this is the first time the city council has made an error.

“Anyone who provides us with some evidence that they have incurred costs – a copy of a statement or similar – will be refunded. We have a 10-day refund policy but it is impossible to say if everyone will be reimbursed by Christmas.”

• Anyone who has incurred bank charges because of the error should write to the council with their proof at revenues@swrbss.org or Revenues and Benefits, PO Box 31, Pershore, WR10 9DD.