Loan sharks will be the target of a major communications campaign run by Swindon Borough Council later this year.

Members of the council’s Combatting Inequality policy formulation committee were told that a campaign to inform Swindonians of the dangers of unlicenced money lenders would begin in a few weeks.

The issue was the first thing the committee has decided to look into after it had been set up following Labour taking over the administration after the May elections.

Senior council officer Andy Stevens told the committee that after the committee’s working group decided on illegal money-lending as something the authority could do something about the communications team met with the illegal money-lending team, and members went on its training course.

He said: “We shall be sending a letter to all our partners on this telling them what we are doing, and inviting them on the training course.”

The committee asked Mr Stevens to make sure that once messages and communications had been agreed between the financial inclusion team and the communications team, the appropriate cabinet member signed off on the campaign.

And no extra money is being spent, approval by full cabinet or council is not needed.