Watch: Couple receive £57,000 utility bill from British Gas for monthly energy supply to one-bed home

In the video, Katie Coyne, 60, and husband Richard, 64, say they were stunned to receive an energy bill for their one-bedroom house - for £57,000. The couple were told they had a matter of weeks to pay the eye-watering British Gas bill, who were left feeling scared to turn on anything electric in their home in Devizes, Wiltshire for weeks.

Call centre is ‘like talking to a brick wall’

After being approached for comment, British Gas confirmed the bill was a mistake - but the couple say that trying to fix the issue is ‘like talking to a brick wall’. Richard spent countless tea and lunch breaks trying to get through to a customer services agent - but didn't get through to anybody so kept having to hang up.

Katie said: "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.”

The couple have had various energy companies supply the property and switched to British Gas two years ago, and had a smart meter fitted. Their bills, for electricity and gas, ranged from £62 to £201 last year - until the whopping bill for £57,282.29p arrived on February 19.

A British Gas spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry about this mistake, we’ve confirmed to Mrs Coyne that the bill was clearly incorrect. She wasn’t charged, we cancelled the bill on the same day and took no payment. We will send her an updated bill shortly."