HOLLIE Brewer has been paying sky-high prices for electricity for months – but her woes could be over after the Review took up her case.

To add to her worries, she has had four days of living with potentially fatal loose wiring at her home in Ruardean

In August last year, her electricity supplier npower said her monthly electricity bill would go up to £258 – and when she installed a key meter to prepay for power, it took around £320 a month.

Hollie, who has lived with her partner and three children in rented accommodation in the village since March 2016 said: “The problem started soon after we moved in. We were paying £55 a month to npower for electricity, which included our heating.

“On August 23, £258 was taken from my bank account by npower without any warning. When I rang, I was told that as we hadn’t submitted a reading – which we hadn’t been asked for –  our monthly payments would rise to £258. 

“I cancelled the direct debit and, after talking to Citizens’ Advice Bureau, we installed a key meter to prepay for our electricity, but it’s taken around £320 a month and that’s money we need to pay other bills.

“On Thursday, January 12, npower came to fit a device to my meter to monitor electricity usage, as I’m fed up with paying over the odds for my electricity.

“On Friday, January 13, our power went off. There was money in the meter, the fuse box was okay and our neighbours’ lights were all on.

“My partner looked in our meter box outside and, as his arm brushed against a wire our power came back on immediately. This happened again in the night.

“My autistic son sleeps with the hall light on for comfort. When the lights went off in the night it sent him into an emotional breakdown. My partner had to go to the box outside in the middle of the night and fiddle with the wires to get the power on again.

“Npower spent 15 minutes at our house and insisted it wasn’t their fault, but Two Rivers Housing’s electrician and Western Power both claimed that the fault lay with the meter and was therefore npower’s responsibility. One electrician also said not to touch the wires as it could prove fatal or cause a fire.

“I’ve spent hours and hours on the phone over all this and it’s incredibly stressful. It’s an absolute disgrace.”

“While everyone was blaming each other, we were left for four days with dangerous wiring and intermittent power. Npower finally came out on Tuesday, after I contacted the Review, and replaced the meter.

“The engineer couldn’t be certain, but he hoped it may sort out the problems we’re having with our bills. I just want to get back the money I’ve overpaid as I need it to pay other bills that I’ve had to put on hold.”