Proposals to block access to payday loan websites on council computers available to the public in South Wirral haved moved a step closer.

Cheshire West and Chester Council overwhelmingly backed a motion advocating a block on PCs in libraries and other local authority buildings should now be sent to a scrutiny committee for further examination.

Councillor Adrian Walmsley, leading calls for the ban, said action was needed “unless and until the industry, including its advertising practices, is effectively controlled”.

He said: “The council should be able to protect people – especially the most vulnerable within our community – from loans from such companies which often lead to them being trapped in a spiral of debt.”

He quoted a highly critical report from the Office of Fair Trading published in March which stated payday lenders failed to consider whether people can afford the loans or explain how their repayments are collected.

The idea will now be discussed at a meeting of the council's scrutiny committee.

A similar ban should be introduced in Wirral, according to the borough council's Liberal Democrat group leader.

Councillor Phil Gilchrist has written to Wirral chief executive Graham Burgess calling on him to do the same.

Councillor Gilchrist said: “By following this practical step I hope that we will help people who risk being taken for a ride and stop them ending up on a treadmill of debt.”