Every eligible council in Britain has agreed to take part in a programme to help turn around the lives of 120,000 "troubled" families.

Under the programme, local councils which succeed in tackling problem families are to be paid up to £4,000 for each household whose lives they change.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles welcomed the plans, but insisted that problem households will not get "special treatment".

He said: "This is not a special programme for troubled families, all the normal tests, all the normal penalties are going to be available to deal with them," he said.

"Of course we are going to get beside troubled families, but also I think there has to be a dose of reality which says 'look, you are ruining your lives, you are ruining the lives of your children, you are not a victim, you can do something about this'."

It is part of a £448 million government drive that has helped pay for a network of people to identify and work with families in need of help over the past three years.

The Government has taken £448 million from Whitehall departmental budgets over three years to help pay for a network of people who will identify families in need of help, aiming to reduce truancy, youth crime and anti-social behaviour as well as guiding wayward adults into work.