£100s out of pocket and sick with stress.. this is how British Gas rewards my 60vrs' loyalty

Margaret, 82, can't get refund for overpaid bill

- GRAHAM HISCOTT

A FRAIL gran says a bill mix-up with British Gas has made her so ill she is unable to leave the house.

Widow Margaret Griffin, 82, told her story as the energy giant prepares to announce bumper profits of more than £800million.

A customer of the firm and its predecessors for 60 years, Margaret regularly settles her bill by automated phone.

In December she accidentally pressed one too many zeros and paid £1,000 instead of £100.

And despite a stream of phone calls and emails, the cash hasn't been returned.

Margaret, whose late husband worked for British Gas, said: "It's been horrendous." She added that the stress of being hundreds of pounds out of pocket had worsened a lung condition, ruined her sleep and left her unable to go to the shops.

The fiasco also sparked overdraft charges from her bank.