THE government has advised council-tax inspectors to use “spy in the sky” satellite cameras to snoop on people’s homes to see if they have added extensions, conservatories and even sheds that could boost the value of their property, writes David Cracknell.

The Tories have unearthed official documents which show that John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, plans to use pictures from space as part of his revaluation of homes across England.

The data will be used to reband people’s homes over the next few years, meaning that property owners whose houses have shot up in value face higher council tax bills.

The government has postponed a full council tax revaluation but Prescott’s department is putting together a database of every home in England so that the levy more accurately reflects the true value of properties across the country.

Even minor improvements, invisible from the road, will be caught by the technology. Caroline Spelman, the Conservative local government spokeswoman, said the move amounted to a “new stealth tax on home improvements”.

Country homes will be at particular risk from the technology. According to an official handbook for inspectors: “Aerial photographs are particularly effective in rural areas where improvements are hard to see from the road.”

Spelman accused Prescott of invading the privacy of people who worked to improve their homes and penalising those who extended rather than moved to bigger homes.

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