A PENSIONER has told of her distress after British Gas demanded hundreds of pounds for electricity - even though she was an npower customer.

Mora Robinson, 80, of St Helen's Square, Barmby Moor, near Pocklington, received an electricity bill for £345 from British Gas, although she switched to npower more than two years ago.

She said she had received several bills by mistake over the past year and contacted British Gas repeatedly to tell them she did not owe them any money. But this latest bill was the final straw.

She said: "It's absolutely ridiculous. I wish I had never got my electricity from British Gas in the first place.

"It's been very upsetting. I have rung them up and sent letters, but nothing has worked."

She said she had been paying npower for her electricity for over two years and was worried that she would have to use her pension to pay for her power twice.

But British Gas have apologised for the bill, and say it was sent to Mrs Robinson by mistake because of a "glitch" in the system.

A spokeswoman said: "She does not owe us any money. We apologise for the bill that was sent to her by mistake and have assured her she won't receive one again."

She said they had now closed Mrs Robinson's account and would send her an up-to-date statement showing that she does not owe any money for electricity.

The spokeswoman said she was not sure why there had been a problem with the account but such mistakes were unusual.

But she advised Mrs Robinson not to switch electricity suppliers again in case this caused the confusion to start again.

This is the latest in a spate of bill blunders by British Gas in the area.

In July the Evening Press reported that British Gas had threatened to cut off npower customer Malcolm Brown, of Woodthorpe, York, for not paying a £106 electricity bill, which he had been sent by mistake. The company said the bill had been sent to Mr Brown in error because of a regrettable address mix-up.

In June, York couple Harold and Dorothy Amos were sent a £1,300 gas bill from British Gas even though they had switched suppliers three years earlier.

Updated: 10:41 Friday, October 17, 2003