OFFICIALS from St Albans District Council have used anti-terror legislation in order to spy on families, it has been revealed.

Figures obtained this week highlight how council officials have made full use of controversial Government legislation to investigat suspected sale of unsafe meat, housing benefit fraud, suspected drug dealing, vandalism, "anti-social behaviour" and breach of a noise abatement notice.

The St Albans and Harpenden Review managed to obtain figures for three local authorities: Watford Borough Council, Three Rivers District Council and St Albans District Council, which have used the act ten, seven and 28 times respectively, since its introduction.

Introduced by the Government in 2000, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) allows more than 60 sanctioned state bodies and local authorities to use covert surveillance to detect crime, improve public safety, prevent disorder and promote "the interests of economic well-being".

Recently-released Government figures reveal that the act was used to investigate 504,073 new cases across the UK last year - an average of 1,381 a day.

Critics have claimed that the legislation is far too broad, effectively amounting to a "snoopers' charter", with unelected, unknown officials using powers normally reserved for the police to pursue often trivial investigations.

Chief Surveillance Commissioner Sir Christopher Rose expressed his concern last month that councils were conducting covert surveillance of individuals for purposes now banned under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, for instance assessing and collecting taxes, alleged incorrect use of bins, or parents trying to dodge school admission rules.

District councillor Roma Mills, leader of the opposition Labour group said: "If people are doing things they shouldn't, if they are commiting fraud or if they are causing unrest, then the council should be able do everything in its power to assure residents.

"There's not a sufficient number of police patrolling the streets as it is and the use off CCTV and the Regulatory Powers Act is there to make St Albans residents feel safe, especially when there is unrest in the area."

Last year Prime Minister Gordon Brown ordered an inquiry into how local authorities were using the act, originally introduced to give greater powers to the police and security and intelligence agencies.

Karen Wheeler, spokeswoman for St Albans District Council, pointed out that the district had a significantly larger population than Watford and Three Rivers, adding: "The council has only used RIPA powers in connection with the investigation of crime and all investigations have to be authorised by a senior manager.

"We have never sought to use powers to access email or telephone records and have no proposals to do so."