Poole new-build residents hit by electricity meter mix-up

Residents in a new-build development have been receiving bills for their neighbours' energy use after being allocated the wrong electricity meters.

The issue, involving British Gas, has been going on for more than a year, according to some residents in Sunnyhill Place in Poole, Dorset.

One couple who refused to pay for someone else's bill said they had been contacted by debt collectors.

Centrica, which owns British Gas, said it had carried out a site visit.

The nine detached properties were built just over a year ago. It is not clear how many are affected.

The problem is thought to have occurred because the building plot numbers registered with British Gas by the developer did not match the house numbers of the finished homes.

Resident Peter Maslen said he had received bills relating to two different houses, neither of which are his.

"I've had a series of threats from debt-collecting agencies," he said.

"My wife is partially disabled and it makes her very anxious and worried."

Mr Maslen's neighbour, Jo Lancashire, said: "I've been paying someone else's bills - I don't know who's paying mine.

"I know what my usage is because it's on the meter that's attached to my house, but that meter seems to be allocated to one of the other houses.

"I can't tell you how many times I've tried to contact British Gas. I had the ombudsman involved last October and I just haven't got anywhere."

Miss Lancashire switched suppliers to Utility Warehouse, which said it was "working to resolve and update this as quickly as possible".

British Gas said, although it updated its own records with the correct meter number for Miss Lancashire's home, it had failed to update the "industry database".

"We've been in touch to say sorry for our mistake and we are also sending a goodwill gesture," a spokesperson said.

The company said it was attempting to contact Mr Maslen and would also check the other properties.

The spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, with new build properties the meters can sometimes be registered incorrectly by the developers, which seems to be the case here.

"We're helping to get this resolved for these customers and have carried out a site visit yesterday to start to put things right."

Energy regulator Ofgem said it would not comment on individual cases but added: "If a consumer has made a complaint to their supplier and is unsatisfied with the outcome or how it has been handled, they should raise it with the ombudsman."

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