I SAW Anne Robinson’s Watchdog programme which featured people receiving tax bills from the Inland Revenue that they had already paid.

The reminders were frightening and an 85-year-old man featured was confused and worried as he’d got several. I have always paid my bills on time but received a “final demand” for a water bill that I’d paid the previous month! In order to prove that I’d paid it I had to ask Lloyds Bank to recover the cheque for me to send to them, plus the cheque stub and the last statement which had the payment on record.

I was told that I hadn’t written the customer number on the cheque but the recovered cheque proved otherwise. Of course, I’ve been out of pocket with phone calls to them and Lloyds and a “sorry” was the only “compensation” for a slip-up at their end.

Regarding energy firms, Iain Camick hit the nail on the head in his letter “Greedy energy firm to blame”. City bankers and energy firms indeed rule the roost.

B Howarth Westhoughton