A dozen businesses in the same street have saved tens of thousands of pounds in tax after a quick-thinking woman discovered they were all paying too much.

The businesses from Meeting House Lane in Brighton are collectively about £50,000 better off after Government officers recalculated their business rates.

They advised other independent retailers and small business owners to check their situation and make sure they were not paying over the odds as well.

Charlotte Wilkie, of children's clothes shop Charlie Barley, decided to look into the situation after thinking their business rates seemed very high.

Following a phone call their situation was reassessed, their property was found to be overvalued and their rateable value reduced by 16 per cent a year.

This means the rates had been incorrectly measured when they were last calculated in 2005 and ever since they had been paying around £1,300 a year too much - which adds up to nearly £4,000 in total.

The Government officers will now backdate the accounts so they get their money back and 11 other businesses in the same road, known for its independent jewellers and gift shops, have also been contacted to say they have also been overcharged by similar amounts.

Stuart Wilkie, co-owner of the shop, said it was worth other businesses having a close look at their bills.

He said: "If Charlotte hadn't made that phone call we would never have known we were paying too much.

"We were just going through the accounts and working out where we could cut costs and streamline the business.

"When they realised there was a discrepancy they also looked at our neighbours' situation and it was the same for them.

"There could be hundreds of businesses out there like us although they should remember that it could go the other way. If your property is reassessed they could find you are not paying enough."

The shop owner also warned about bogus valuation experts who toured businesses claiming to be able to save thousands of pounds by looking at the rates. He said they often charged a fee for doing so then took any rebate for themselves and disappeared while a quick phone call to the valuation office was all that was needed to get a free and efficient service.

He said the officers had come back to them within four weeks.

A spokesman from the Valuation Office in St Anne's Road, Eastbourne, said: "Unscrupulous agents often approach ratepayers with apparently tempting offers of help to 'substantially reduce' rate bills. The reality is often less attractive. It is important that you examine carefully the terms and conditions of any contract you are asked to sign."

All non-domestic properties - mostly businesses - have a rateable value. This figure is based on a professional assessment of the annual rent of a property if it was available to let on the open market.

The rateable value is multiplied by the Uniform Business Rate (UBR) - set by central Government - to calculate the business rates bill.

Have you discovered you were paying too much in business rates? Call Katya Mira on 01273 544545 or tell us your stories below.