More than £18 million in costs and fines is owed by defendants following court judgements in Kent.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) revealed the figure in response to a Kent Messenger Freedom of Information request.

The total amount unpaid – including outstanding bills from previous years – at the end of the last financial year was £18,527,317, more than £7 million of which related to orders imposed from 2013 to 2014.

The figure is made up of unpaid prosecution costs, fines, compensation payments and victim surcharges following crown and magistrates’ court judgements throughout the county.

“It seems to me the problem is a breakdown in communication." — Rose Lovell

The MoJ was unable to provide figures for specific areas.

Victim surcharges are imposed in criminal cases, with all proceeds distributed to charities that help the victims of crime. Since 2010 the initiative has generated more than £51 million.

Rose Lovell, money advice specialist for the Maidstone Citizens Advice Bureau, said: “It seems to me the problem is a breakdown in communication either in court or following the hearing when a person’s circumstances may change.

“People tend to approach us at the point when enforcement officers have got involved and the fees have started to rack up.

“If a person’s benefits change or if there is some extenuating circumstance the payment of fines is often not their top priority and sometimes it is not immediately clear who they should inform.”

She added: “I believe in many cases payment would be made simpler if, where possible, money was taken from benefits at the point when a fine or order is imposed rather than after payment has been missed.”

Currently, if a person is unable to pay a fine due to a change in their circumstances the case must go back to court, a policy Mrs Lovell says can prolong the issue and cause more problems.

She added that resolving issues out of court could solve a lot of these problems.

A spokesman for HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) said: “HMCTS takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority.

“It actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected.”

The Ministry of Justice were contacted for further figures on the amount collected but at the time of publication no amount has been provided.