The number of complaints about building works in Breckland has shot up by more than 50pc in the past year.

Breckland Council's contractor Capita Symonds, which has been responsible for building control services since June 2009, said it had received 331 complaints in the first seven months of 2012, compared to 207 in the same period last year.

Councillors at yesterday's Overview and Scrutiny Commission said they received more complaints from local residents about unauthorised building work than any other issue, but were not kept informed about what action was being taken.

Cases this summer included an unauthorised shed in Attleborough which was later moved, a breach of planning conditions in Watton which resulted in a letter being sent, and a fence in Dereham which Capita said needed a planning application, which was then approved.

Capita told councillors said that new systems it was putting in place should improve the service it offered.