AN 83-year-old council tax crusader is celebrating after saving his elderly neighbours £140 a year.

Retired engineer Bert Hindle had already successfully challenged the banding of his Poole flat – having it downgraded from a D to a C some 18 months ago.

But the civic-minded great-grandfather didn’t leave it at that – he took up the fight for his neighbours in 11 other flats at Claremont, Seldown Road, without even telling most of them, and fought to have their “almost identical flats” rebanded as well.

Bert told the Echo his neighbours were elderly, and some were women living alone on just a basic pension.

“People are having a job to manage as it is without having to find an extra £140 a year,” he added.

Over two years he said he wrote to everyone he could think of, from his local councillors to the Queen, to highlight the injustice – as well as getting in touch with the Valuation Office Agency .

And now, after months of “feet dragging” as Bert described it, the agency seems finally to have taken action.

Although the VOA hasn’t been able to confirm this yet, seven other flats in his block now appear on its website as C band – instead of D as they were right up until last Friday. The others may yet follow suit.

“I’m delighted,” Bert said. “It’s been a long battle but this is the right result.”I’ll wait for a little while and see what replies I get and see about the other four, because they deserve it as well.

“I told two of the ladies so far and they were absolutely delighted. It makes a big difference to people.”

He added: “Where’s my next battle going to be I wonder!”

A spokesman for the VOA said: “We recently completed a review of the council tax bands on a number of properties in Seldown Road, Poole, and are informing the occupiers of the outcome.

“We cannot comment publicly for legal reasons.”