MAIDSTONE borough councillors have attacked a Government plan to tax people who live in flood plains £60 a year. At their latest full council meeting, members declared that the tax to pay for river damage should be raised nationally, rather than levelled on the few.

Ward member for Yalding, Cllr Rodd Nelson-Gracie (Con), said: "The tax is totally unjust. These people have already suffered twice because of flood damage to their homes and an increase in insurance premiums.

"This tax will demarcate them and their properties will be blighted further. People don't pay extra for extra police officers when they live in high crime areas so why are people paying extra for extra flood defence work."

Cllr Nelson-Gracie said there was also no guarantee that the money raised would be spent locally. Cllr Frances Brown (Lab), whose mother's Yalding home had been flooded, said: "The money should be raised through general taxes and everyone should pay throughout the country, not just the few."

Cllr Clive English (Lib Dem) added: "This is a national problem that requires a national strategy to sort out the fundamental reasons why this flooding is with us and those reasons need to be funded through national taxation. This proposal is like asking a victim of a road traffic accident to pay for their own surgery. Basically it stinks."

The council agreed to write to the Government setting out its opposition to the proposal.