Woman, 70, facing ruin over £24,000 energy bill

A WOMAN says she is on the brink of financial ruin after being hit with a £24,000 energy bill for a property used for less than a third of the year.

- By Amy Mackrill

Lin Lawler stays at a five-bedroom house as a holiday rental for just over 100 days a year, she says.

But despite the limited use, energy supplier SmartestEnergy has issued a bill of £24,010 for the whole year - and will cut off her power unless she agrees to pay it back at £2,022 per week.

Ms Lawler, 70, said: "I just can’t afford it. They've got their hands around my throat and their hands in my pocket."