Dominic Cummings may be forced to pay a potential tax bill of at least £30,000 after a regional daily’s scoop, it has been revealed.

HTFP reported last week how the Northern Echo had revealed the Prime Minister’s chief aide and his family would not be made to pay retrospective council tax on two homes built on their farm without planning permission.

But, in an exclusive follow-up, the Darlington-based Echo says Durham County Council leader Simon Henig has now instructed senior officers to find a way to force Mr Cummings and his family to pay retrospective charges on the properties.

Councillor Henig said he was responding to “mounting public anger” at Boris Johnson’s chief aide following the publication of the Echo’s original story.

The follow-up by reporter Gavin Havery provided a splash for the newspaper on yesterday, pictured above.

Editor Karl Holbrook told HTFP: “The response to the Cummings scoop has been phenomenal and shows there is a real appetite for local and regional brands like ours to keep digging.

“Our industry takes a lot of flak, much of it warranted, but regional newspapers like the Northern Echo have fought for their communities and given them a voice on a national stage for more than 150 years.

“We are delighted to continue doing that and are determined to do so long into the future.”

The Cummings family has previously declined to comment on the situation when approached by the Echo.