A FAMILY were disgusted when they received an outstanding council tax bill for their son who died in Spain five months ago.

Joan and Jack Crossland said the actions of Blackburn with Darwen Council had left them sick and angry.

The council wrote asking for £659 in outstanding council tax accrued by Joan’s son Neil Walker, 37, who died in Alicante last November.

But council chiefs said it was normal to see whether the family, of Pilmuir Road, Higher Croft, Blackburn, could settle remaining council tax bills, even if the person who owed the cash was dead.

Mrs Crossland, 64, said the letter had come as another blow to the family who were still struggling to find £3,700 to fly Neil’s body home from Spain and bury him.

Mrs Crossland said: “I’ve sent the letter back and sent the bill back with it.

"It is so insensitive that the council should do something like this. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.

“We have no money to pay this.

“They should have realised that because everybody knew we didn’t have the money to bring Neil back from Spain in the first place.

“It’s absolutely disgusting to do something like this to people who were already struggling to cope.” As executors of Mr Walker’s will, the couple were approached by the council in a bid to reclaim the existing council tax.

The unpaid bill concerned Mr Walker’s time spent living in New Wellington Street, Blackburn, before moving to Spain last year.

Coun Colin Rigby, executive member for resources at Blackburn with Darwen, said: “We were sorry to hear about Mr Walker’s death but there are some procedures that have to be followed in these circumstances.

“The family approached us on April 15.

“We are now speaking to them and looking at how best to resolve the situation.”

If the family can prove they cannot afford to pay the bill there is a chance the debt would then be scrapped.