Over the past five years, the Lancashire County Council has used their snooping powers over 300 times. Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) powers are supposed to be for tracking terrorists, not for snooping on gardeners or other low-level crimes.

Cleaners who repeatedly failed to show up for work, and a care assistant who claimed too much on travel expenses, were among those caught through surveillance under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).

A person in Chorley thought to be selling counterfeit goods via eBay, people pursuing false personal injury claims, and a retailer selling furniture not up to fire safety standards were also among those investigated using powers granted under the Act.

Most of the requests that LCC made for phone records under RIPA were to investigate suspected rogue doorstep callers or car traders believed to have sold unroadworthy vehicles.

Sixteen allegations of people selling pornographic videos were also looked into using powers under the Act.

And a bus shelter in Lancaster which had been repeatedly vandalised was kept under surveillance and culprits were arrested as a result.

RIPA was designed specifically for crimes that threaten national security and, while the above allegations may be criminal, they are nowhere near the mandate set out in the Act. RIPA has merely been used to bring more money to local councils instead of performing proper policing. It should be banned from use for local councils and only be used for its intended purpose.