A single mum may become bankrupt after receiving an electricity bill of more than £20,000.
Caroline Leitch initially contacted energy company SSE about her electric meter after noticing the reading was lower than the figures being quoted on the estimate provided by the company.
The 55-year-old, who quit her job as a nurse in 2016 to look after her two children, expected SSE to reduce her £623.68 bill as a result, Lincolnshire Live reported.
However, the mum-of-two was shocked to find that her bill had been hiked to a whopping £20,348.39 instead.
Ms Leitch, who lives in a council house in Branston, insists she has no idea where a figure that high has come from, but is also concerned as she says she will have no way of repaying it.
She said: “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.”
Ms Leitch says she has emailed the company head office but after two days still hasn’t had a response.
The former nurse says she had no option but to leave her role as her two kids were both experiencing issues and says she had to “choose to put my kids first” over doing the long hours.
The latest development has left her fearing she will be financially ruined as she has no way of paying off the debt and she admits the timing couldn't be worse with Christmas also on the horizon.
She added: “If it can’t be changed I will have to go bankrupt – I can’t pay it."
The Mirror has contacted SSE for comment.
