Gas bill gripe

4:40pm Friday 10th October 2008

A CASH-STRAPPED mother today revealed her disabled daughter was being forced to stay in bed to keep warm because she could no longer afford soaring fuel bills.

Dianne Read, of New Earswick, York, spends all her time looking after her daughter, Rachael, who is 24 but has a mental age of six, and also suffers from epilepsy, autism and a heart condition, and needs the house well-heated.

But she was left shocked and angry, when British Gas increased her monthly payments from £30 a month to £148 a month – an increase of nearly 400 per cent that flung her into fuel poverty.

Mrs Read, 47, lives on £79 benefits a week, and said she simply could not afford the new bills.

She has written to her MP and appealed for support from gas bosses and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT), which manages her home.

“I am angry and I am panicking. They have already taken one payment of £148 out, but how long can I keep that up, and when I cannot – what will happen?,” she said.

“They said I could have a meter, but you pay even more for a meter, so I would be even worse off.

“Sometimes Rachael will not even get out of bed, because the house is so cold.”

Mrs Read said British Gas had been unsympathetic to her plight, and said JRHT had told her she could not get double glazing or insulation, as she lived in a conservation area.

After The Press intervened, British Gas agreed to put Mrs Read on a special benefits-friendly package, lowering her payments to £80 a month. That will cover both her usage and an outstanding debt.

But Mrs Read’s MP Anne McIntosh said the issue of fuel poverty was still a major worry.

“My deepest sympathies lie with her and her predicament, and I will do all in my power to help each individual constituent. I do fear there may be many more such cases this winter.

“Fuel poverty has definitely increased in the last ten years.”

A British Gas spokeswoman said: “British Gas is very sorry for the stress Mrs Read has experienced and that she was disappointed with the support she received when she contacted us.

“We have now ensured that she is on the lowest tariff available to her and have backdated this to cut the outstanding amount she owed. This has significantly reduced her monthly direct debit.

“We would urge any customers struggling to make energy payments to contact us.”

Peter Giles, deputy director of development and property services for the JRHT, said improvements would be carried out at Mrs Read’s home, but it could be any time in the next five years.

He added: “We will be consulting with residents on our proposals in the next few months and anticipate being able to confirm what we will be doing, and when the work will be done, later this year.”

Speaking after the matter had been resolved, Mrs Read said: “I am relieved and happy that they have changed it. It’s still a lot of money, but it had dropped by £68, which is a lot better.”

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