THE Penwortham, Preston, woman who received a staggering £1,308 gas bill has had a double windfall this week thanks to the Preston Citizen.

Since we reported that single mum-of-two Jackie Hall had been struggling to pay her bills, British Gas agreed to investigate the case.

After a simple phone call and a brief enquiry Jackie's latest bill plunged down to £350.

Jackie's second surprise came from an unexpected source. Pensioner Edith Donnelly of Alexandra House, Ribbleton, was distressed to read Jackie couldn't afford a television for her children. So, the 82-year-old got straight on to the Citizen offering her own portable set.

When Jackie heard the news, she said: "It's so generous. I'm really touched. I hadn't expected anything like that - it's a lovely surprise."

And on learning of the new bill she said: "Well that's more like it."

Now Jackie can look forward to an increase in her weekly living allowance which is just £52. The news came on the same day that Cedric Brown retired as boss of British Gas with a pension of £250,000.

A spokesman for British Gas explained the mix-up saying that the bill had been an estimate based on an inaccurate reading. He added that he would be looking into previous bills but that such an enquiry would take a little longer.

The Gas Consumer Council handled 5,266 gas related complaints during 1995 - almost double the amount received in the previous year.

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