Councils are being forced to write off millions of pounds in unpaid business rates due to a legal loophole, town hall leaders have warned.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said some councils faced business rate debts of nearly £1.5m.

Smith Square called for councils to be given the power to suspend the licenses of businesses that ‘wilfully or persistently' fail to pay their business rates.

It also called for a change in the law to prevent companies going bankrupt, only to start again overnight with the same directors in place.

Cllr Simon Blackburn, the LGA's licensing spokesman, said: ‘The Government should close the phoenix company loophole by making it a legal requirement for directors of bankrupt companies who start up a new business to pay their old company's business rate debts.

‘Giving council powers to refuse or suspend a premises licence at an earlier stage of the debt recovery process would be a simple way to tackle this problem and protect local services.'