Fear for pub
after £7,000
electric bill
The Buck in Morley, near Wymondham, Norfolk, may have to close after licensee John Plumpton received a £7,000 'catch-up bill from Seeboard Energy.
Plumpton switched to See-board in 2002 and has made quarterly payments based on two meter readings and two estimates for around £500 a time.
The huge electricity bill arrived in January last year and he has been disputing it ever since. He was forced to pay £1,800 last Monday to prevent the pub being cut off.
The power firm has given him two weeks to prove he does not owe the money.
Plumpton said the latest bill is more than 10 times the usual level and fears it could put him out of business.
He added: 'I couldn't risk them cutting off the power, I wouldn't have been able to open the pub.
'When I spoke to Seeboard last they said it was a catch-up bill. A catch-out bill more like, said Plumpton.
Chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations Tony Payne said: 'I recommend checking every estimate against the meter and phoning straight away if it doesn't add up.
