British Gas leaves couple stunned after sending 'crazy' £57k bill for a one-bed home

A couple in their 60s have said they were stunned when an energy bill came through the letterbox of their small one-bedroom home that was 25 times higher than their annual estimate - an eye-watering £57,000 charge for gas and electricity.

Katie Coyne, 60, and husband Richard, 64, were given just weeks to pay the "crazy" sum, which they were told was for for just one month of energy usage in their small home. This was despite their estimated bill from British Gas for the year coming in at just £2150.

The Wiltshire couple said the bill left them terrified to switch on anything in their house, for fear of racking up another life-altering charge for energy - even though they had a smart meter installed and a new heating system.

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But now after being approaches for comment, British Gas confirmed the bill was a mistake. Katie said: "It's completely crazy - I'm beyond livid. They say they're sorry but that doesn't work anymore. It's just a joke.

"We have a smart meter, so they should have accurate readings, but all our bills say they are estimates - it doesn't make sense.

"We just pay them £180 a month because we think that's about right and we don't want to get into debt, but our bills don't make sense at all.

"Sometimes they say we owe them and sometimes they say they owe us. This makes you feel so small - like you don't count for anything."

Katie, a retired cleaner and youth worker, and Richard, a machine operative on a building site, have rented their home from a housing association for 24 years.

Central heating with a gas boiler was installed to replace their storage heaters three-and-a-half years ago. The couple have had various