Family bakery ‘could have to shut’ over huge electricity bill
FIRM USED TO PAY £300 A QUARTER BUT HAS BEEN HIT WITH £7K CHARGE
A FAMILY bakery, which has been running in Hull for almost four decades, could be forced to close after being saddled with enormous electricity bills.
Mawers Bakery, off Hessle Road, used to pay around £300 a quarter for its electricity, but since a smart meter was fitted last October, it has seen its bills go through the roof.
The most recent British Gas bill – covering July to October – was for more than £7,000, and the bakery’s owners have now said they may have to close if forced to pay it.
Peter Mawer, who says the bakery’s main oven uses gas, said: “All of our problems started when the smart meter was fitted last year.
“We used to pay about £300 a quarter for our electricity. The bill for the first three months after the meter was fitted was for £600, and we paid that one without thinking about it.
“The next bill was for £1,900, and the most recent was more than £7,000. We have been contacting British Gas trying to get this sorted, but you feel like you are being passed from one person to the next.
“We now, apparently, owe almost £10,000. Our staff are worried that they will end up out of work because of these bills.”
British Gas has stood by the smart meter, claiming Mawers Bakery was paying too little for its electricity before it was installed.
A spokesman said: “We have checked Mawers Bakery’s meters and we do believe that they are working correctly, suggesting that the business was paying too little for its electricity before the smart meter was installed.
“To further reassure our customer we are proposing to install a second check meter, which will confirm if the meter is accurate.”
Mr Mawer remains adamant the smart meter fitted at the bakery is faulty.
He said it was impossible for the bakery to have run up such enormous bills, and said the main oven the company has uses gas.
“This has caused a lot of stress for everyone. Staff have come to me and asked about their jobs, and I have reassured them that nothing is going to happen until I get this sorted.
“If we have to pay this bill though, we would need to either take out a loan, or close down.
“British Gas has told us many times they are going to sort out this problem, but nothing has been done.”
Mr Mawer said its machines only typically ran for about one and a half hours each morning – two hours on a busier Friday – and added the main oven used gas rather than electricity.