A DISABLED pensioner was left without electric for 36 hours while her husband was in hospital at the weekend.

Sue Colledge, 67, was having to use candles to make her way around her house on Hoarstones Avenue, Fence, after she lost power.

Scottish Power has taken full responsibility for the way Sue was left and will be paying her and husband David £1,500 in compensation for the difficulties, as well as refunding all monies overpaid for their gas bill and electric meter.

The couple moved into their home in February and found out a few weeks later, when their electric suddenly turned off, that they were on a pre-payment meter.

They called provider Scottish Power and asked if they would be able to switch to a normal meter, and the energy company said it would be fine and they would transfer them to a direct debit meter.

On Monday, April 11, her husband David, 70, went into hospital and Sue was home alone when the electricity went off.

David said: “We didn’t know we were on the meter, and I was in hospital when the electrics went off. We thought it had been fixed but it hadn’t.

“I was worried knowing Sue was on her own without any power for so long.”

Sue managed to get hold of her brother-in-law who called Scottish Power to see what was going on.

She paid the energy company a £600 payment for the gas bill, however, this was from an estimated reading meaning it was too high.

The electricity did not come back on, and her brother-in-law tried to top up the key several times, but the power was not restored.

Sue had to walk around with candles to help her get to the bathroom, leaving her scared that she may end up falling or a fire starting, and she would be unable to call for help or get herself back up.

Sue said: “I can’t believe they left me like that. I was cold, hungry and scared.

“I struggle with my mobility and I was terrified that I would fall or there would be a fire because all I had was candles.

“I didn’t have the landline or anything. All I had was my mobile but I was saving the charge to find out when David was coming out of hospital.”

Scottish Power said there was an error with their being two accounts on the property and the account they were given details for was the other account, which is why the electricity was not restored.

Eventually, the electricity was restored and after David returned home, he called Scottish Power and was originally offered £25 in compensation; this was then upped to £100.

David told them however he felt it was not adequate for what they had been through and they lost around £300 worth of food from their fridge and freezer, and a set of clothes that were trapped in the wash were ruined.

A Scottish Power spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry for the issues experienced by Mr and Mrs Colledge and the failures in the customer service provided, which do not reflect the level of service we aim to deliver.

“We’ve now switched the electricity account from prepayment to monthly direct debit as requested and refunded the outstanding prepayment credit of £240.

“We’ve also updated the gas bill – which had been based on estimated meter readings – with accurate reads, and refunded the resulting £360 on that account.

“There is no excuse for Mr and Mrs Colledge’s experience and we understand how difficult this has been for them.

"Following discussion with them, we will make a goodwill payment of £1,500 and have apologised again for the distress and inconvenience caused.”