AS IF paying council tax was not enough of a headache, we report today on the absurd situation facing residents in one Oxford street.

Some are paying £350 more than those just a stone’s throw away in identical houses.

Yet those in charge of valuing properties on which bills are based say it is up to homeowners to seek a review. This means many more could be paying more than they need to.

But there is a dilemma facing the Government and residents.

An alternative would be for The Valuation Office to review all homes again for the first time since 1991.

A 2005 study found this would put about four million of England’s 22.5 million homes into higher bands and 3.6 million into lower bands.

The Government pledged in September there would be no revaluation in the next five years.

But residents who seek a review could get a nasty shock and find themselves in a higher band and our story today shows the huge glitches in the system.

But we have one thing to be cheery about – after years of rocketing bills, the Government has demanded a council tax freeze next year.