Caroline Leitch, 55, a struggling single mum-of-two is in complete shock after she received an electricity bill saying she owes more than £20,000., after complaining to the electricity company about a £600 bill given to her.
Caroline who quit her job as nurse in 2016 to look after her two children, lives in a council house in Branston, Lincolnshire, and got in touch with SSE Electricity when she noticed her meter reading was lower than the figures quoted by the company, hoping her £623.68 bill would decrease.
But she got more shocked when she saw a new bill of £20,348.39 when she logged into her account.
Caroline, insists she has no idea where the figures emanated from and will file for bankruptcy as she has no way or hope of paying for it especially as Christmas is coming.
‘I was shocked because I have no money to pay the debts.” She told Metro UK.
‘Paying a £20,000 electric bill is not going to happen – I laughed because of the shock. ‘I am really struggling. I am a single parent of two children and I have no idea how I am going to pay.’
Caroline, a former nurse, has contacted the company head office but after two days still hasn’t had a response and is worried about the outcome.
She said: ‘If it can’t be changed I will have to go bankrupt – I can’t pay it. It has been a constant battle this year with debts. I have just had to struggle.
She added: ‘It is not great, especially as it is near Christmas.’
An SSE spokesperson when contacted by Metro.co.uk after the news broke out on Thursday afternoon, said: ‘We have been in touch with the customer to apologise for stress this has caused her.
‘The high bill occurred as a result of a system error which we are looking into. ‘We are also speaking to the customer about additional assistance we can offer to reduce her energy bills going forward.’
