AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a man was sent a £4,000 electricity bill - for a home he says he has never lived in.

Gary Benson said he was 'losing sleep' after being landed with the bill and is locked in a dispute with energy company E.ON.

The company claims he is the owner of a house on Earle Street, Barrow, and he owes them thousands of pounds.

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The 60-year-old, who has lived on King Alfred Street, Walney, for nearly two decades, has spoken of the stress it has caused him and has informed the ombudsman to investigate.

A spokesman for E.ON said the company was 'discussing the account with him in an attempt to find a resolution.'

"I sort of laughed at the letter - it was all fairly innocent and happy," he said.

"But it’s started to get a bit more sinister because they said they have done a land registry search and the property they claim is mine is owned by a Gary Benson but what complicates it even more is that I used to live across the road from this property."

Mr Benson said E.ON had told him that as far as they are concerned, the property belongs to him, making him responsible for the bill.

He says the bill was later reduced to £2,700.

Mr Benson said: “They say that I have spoken to them and sent them photographs of meters that are supposedly in the house – and I’ve never been in it. I just don’t know how I can prove it’s not me.”

Mr Benson said the stress of the situation had been of increasing concern as he had a stroke in October.

“They have given me an account number and I can go online and see when payments were made," he said.

"The last payment was in July 2019.

“Either there’s another Gary, or the one thing that worries me most is, is it is a stolen identity. Is there going to be something else that I’m going to be surprised with?

“It’s all I’m thinking about and obviously my wife is unhappy. I’m not supposed to be getting stressed.

“I got a text yesterday asking for a meter reading. I said how can I get a meter reading for a property that I don’t have access to? We’ve never even been with E.ON.

“I just keep telling them that I can’t do it and it’s a nightmare getting them to believe me. I’m losing sleep over things that have absolutely nothing to do with me.”

An E.ON spokesman said: “Recent letters from Mr Benson, supported by Land Registry data, continue to show Mr Benson owns the property in question but we are discussing the account with him in an attempt to find a resolution. He has taken his complaint to the energy ombudsman, as is his right, and we will comply with any findings the ombudsman makes.”

Responding to E.ON, Mr Benson said: “I paid £15.99 for a land registry search which indeed shows that a Gary Benson purchased 29 Earle Street in September 2003. At that time I lived at 22 Earle Street and moved to my current address at King Alfred Street on Walney in November 2003 and certainly couldn’t afford to buy two houses within two months of each other.

“Also both properties I have ever owned have been in mine and my wife Sue’s name.”

A spokesman for Ombudsman Services said: “We can confirm that we received the complaint earlier this month.

“E.ON have also submitted their evidence which means we can now start to investigate the case and we hope to be able to issue our decision shortly.”