TAX collection rates are improving in Worcester as the city council gets tough on non-payers.

During the first six months of this year "good progress" was made raking in council tax and business rates, according to a financial report given to the council on Tuesday.

An extra £1.9m had been collected by the end of September this year compared with the same time in 2004.

This represents a 1.5 per cent improvement on council tax collection, and a 1.4 per cent improvement in business rates during the first six months of the financial year.

Earlier this month, the Worcester News revealed that £1.168m of council tax was uncollected at the end of last year - the largest chunk of the £4.6m black hole in the county.

Council chiefs then promised that they were clamping down on tax-dodgers.

Finance officer Grahame Lucas said: "Good progress was made during the first six months towards increasing the amount of council tax and business rates collected.

"The prompt collection of council tax has improved this year, with recovery and arrears-chasing procedures well advanced over previous years.

"More than 30,000 recovery notices have now been issued and court hearings are being held on a regular basis. The recovery programme for business rates is under way, with summonses having been issued to non-payers."

He also added that work was continuing on the collection of previous years' arrears, with over £1m hauled back since April.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, cabinet member for finance, said the council would continue to come down hard on tax-dodgers, and would be looking into bankrupting repeat and consistent offenders.