A terminally-ill man has been unable to pay his gas bill for a year because his energy supplier told him he is not one of their customers.
Craig Sutherland, 43, moved into his new-build Fife Council property at Shore Road, Anstruther, on October 25 last year.
However, as the first anniversary of his tenancy approaches, he has still not received a gas bill that matches the meter in his property and has therefore been unable to pay.
Mr Sutherland, who is on limited income and has been registered disabled for seven years, told The Courier he was terrified that Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) would land him a giant bill and turn off the power he desperately needs as he battles to control his illness.
But, following the intervention of The Courier, SSE confirmed that a mistake had been made and offered Mr Sutherland a full apology.
Mr Sutherland, who preferred not to discuss his illness, stays in the property with his full-time carer wife Kim, 41, and daughter Carly, 12.
He said: “I’ve been worried they could switch it off because I haven’t paid. And yet I’m desperate to pay. They just keep telling me that the meter I have is not registered with them.
“I’ve been getting my electricity bill OK from the same supplier and paying that. But the gas bill I get seems to for a neighbouring property.
“To be honest, I’m not sure if others are paying or not. The stress of all this is making me even more ill.”
A Scottish and Southern Energy spokesman told The Courier: “SSE has investigated this and can confirm that Mr Sutherland has not received a gas bill since he moved into his property a year ago.
“The problem occurred when a third party company provided incorrect metering information which led to a gas account not being created.
“It is clear that if a more thorough investigation was completed, it would have been discovered that we were the supplier.
“We apologise for the worry that has been caused to Mr Sutherland during this time, and it has now been highlighted to the third party company to resolve.
“In the meantime, Mr Sutherland has been contacted by our customer relations team to reassure him that due to this error we will only begin billing him for gas once the account is set up.”
The spokesman added: “Mr Sutherland has been given an apology and a full explanation of the circumstances and we are pleased that this has now been resolved to his satisfaction.
“SSE is committed to delivering high standards of customer service and we apologise that we have not been able to resolve this matter for Mr Sutherland before now.”
Colin Gilbert, Fife Council area housing and neighbourhood team leader for North East Fife, said: “We are sorry to learn of Mr Sutherland’s difficulties and will assist him in any way we can to resolve the problem with his energy provider.
“One of our officers will visit him to discuss his situation more fully and see how we can ensure he receives accurate and regular billing in future.”