MORE than 1,000 people are being taken to court every day over personal debts, according to Scotland's insolvency body.
Around 376,000 debtors were the subject of court birds in 2013/14 - an increase of 20 per cent (61,893 cases) on the previous year.
Some areas of Scotland saw increases up to as much as 49 per cent on the previous year, while just one, North Strathclyde, experienced a drop of two per cent.
Council tax recovery accounted for 80 per cent of the cases - prompting claims the surge could be linked to local authorities "ramping up" their debt collection procedures.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) also warned that court action should be a last resort for councils, who should first try to find a way to resolve debt issues without legal action.
Keith Dryburgh, policy manager at CAS, said: "Scotland's Citizens Advice Bureaux advised on over 13,500 council tax arrears issues this last year. That's a seven per cent increase on the previous year.
"We think there are a number of factors which have impacted on people's ability to keep up with their council tax. These include benefit cuts and low wages.
"However, these figures suggest that council debt collection practices are also being ramped up at just the time when families are less able to pay.
"We understand councils need to recover monies owed, but this is still a time of economic constraint for many households who are struggling to make ends meet.
"Councils need to ensure that they support clients to seek independent, free and impartial advice - like the CAB - that will help give them a hand out of the debt they are in and only use legal enforcement as a last resort."
The figures published by the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) show that the number of legal actions lodged in Lothian and Borders increased by 49 per cent, from 76,439 to 88,070.
In Grampian, Highlands and Islands they rose by 33 per cent, while Tayside, Central and Fife saw an increase of 21 per cent and Glasgow and Strathkelvin went up by 15 per cent.
Financial experts believe the figures point to parts of the economy still struggling to recover from the recession.
Leonie Donald, partner at law firm Aberdein Considine, said: "There has been a large rise in the number of people being taken to court over debts this year, mainly because councils have been more proactive in recovering the money they are due.
"The figures are worrying in that they highlight the difficulties that are being encountered by individuals in paying their council tax, which is an increasing concern for all those involved. It is also indicative of an economy still struggling to recover.
"It is also perhaps an indicator that councils are taking a harder line in recovering arrears."
The AiB report also shows a 20 per cent increase in the use of summary warrants by councils over the year.
The warrant is a shortened court procedure used mainly by local authorities where no hearing is held. The move involves an application being made to the court for debts owed by a number people.
Miss Donald said: "The introduction of these warrants has been welcomed by councils, because it means they can take court action to recover debts without having to pay any substantial legal fees.
"However, it is bad news for people in debt, because it means councils can move fast to recover the money they are due - whether that be through freezing funds in bank accounts or bankruptcy.
"With potential interest rate rises around the corner, we could see the number of people struggling to cope with debt escalate further in 2015."
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