Thousands of council tax payers in Colchester are being given the chance to pay their bills by text message.

Council house tenants will also be able to ditch their cheque books and whiz payments through the ether, using mobile phone technology.

People can sign up for the scheme on the internet, or by phoning Colchester Council's call centre.

They register their credit or debit card details, which are then scrambled and stored in a secure database so no-one else can use them.

The council says the system is simple and safe to use. People have to key in a security number to confirm the payment, which is then processed.