A council has launched an investigation after bailiffs sent an email by mistake to more than 300 taxpayers.

Debt collection agency Dukes sent out the message to 330 households on behalf of Canterbury City Council on Monday.

The authority uses the firm to recover unpaid council tax - but people have been told to ignore it.

It has since apologised to anyone who may have received it.

Bailiffs have not been used by the city council since March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The city council tweeted: "The bailiffs we use to recover unpaid council tax, Dukes, sent an email by mistake to a number of council taxpayers on Monday.

"If you received an email on June 29, please ignore it.

"We're very sorry. We've launched an investigation.

"Bailiffs are used as a very last resort when someone owes us council tax and refuses to work with us to find a way to repay their debt.

"In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have not been using bailiffs since March of this year."

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