A Bracknell man was caught off guard this month when he found bailiffs attempting to break into his house because of ‘someone else’s unpaid debt’.

Kane Roberts, who has been living in his new build in Bracknell since March 2021 set up a dual tariff direct debit with British Gas upon moving into his property pay.

Soon after, he started to receive letters addressed to another person that was racking up charges on his meter. 

Understandably, Roberts didn’t think much of it because of his monthly payments of £150 and was re-assured when the gas company ‘weren’t really acknowledging it’.

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Mr Roberts said: “When I got the notification on my doorbell app that someone was at my door I was concerned as I became aware it was bailiffs trying to break in my house with someone from British Gas.

"I could only watch as they trespassed on my property and began to take stock of my possessions through the window.

“After speaking to the locksmith, he was very understanding and told me that he had been sent a court order which allowed him to do this.

“This was incredibly worrying, especially because I knew that I have paid around £1000 more than I should because of a misunderstanding on the company’s part.”

British Gas has said that an error led to them associating Mr Roberts address with a wrong account on their database, which they are investigating.

Apparently, the mix up in account led to the visit to the property to change the meter to pre-payment.

Kane made the original formal complaint on May 19 and was told that he would receive a courtesy call 21 days later which he never received.

The News understands that he had come to the realisation that his meter was connected to another home, and he was therefore paying over and above what he was using for someone else’s energy bill.

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“I’m wasting so much time and money and we are in a gas crisis. My electric is going out every five days and I’m hardly ever in my house,” he said.

“This debt is being racked up against my house. Obviously, it’s not in my name but it’s got to the point that bailiffs are trying to take my stuff for someone else’s bills that they can’t afford.”

A spokesman from British Gas said: "We’re so sorry about an address mix-up on our database that led to this. We’ve spoken to Mr Roberts to ensure his details are correct and we’re making things right for him."

The letters that Roberts was getting sent were being addressed to Mr M Way because the account was set up by then-partner’s name (Miss Way), the gas company states.

In total, Kane has ended up paying over £300 for pre-paid cards, a £416 one-off payment for another person’s unpaid bill and months of direct debit payments that have come out every month.