A 612-year-old pub in Kent could be forced to shut after being handed a catastrophic £55,000 energy bill.
The Chequers Inn in Lamberhurst, near Tunbridge Wells, is at risk of closure after its energy supplier, Yorkshire Gas and Power, claimed the £55,589.77 sum was owed in unpaid charges.
Owners Becky Gomery and Rich Spicer, who took over the 15th-century pub last year, believe a faulty smart meter is to blame for the charges.
Ms Gomery said: "We won’t be able to operate as a business or live here in our homes.
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"So it’s catastrophic, really, if the electricity is switched off. That will be the end of the pub."
The couple had been paying around £2,000 per month, similar to the previous owner’s usage, based on the smart meter readings.
In April, they were then asked to share meter readings and told they owed an additional £38,000 in backdated fees.
The total has since risen to £55,589.77 and has been passed to a debt collection agency.
Ms Gomery said: "Every day is a bit of a struggle because running a pub is difficult and there’s not very much money to be made."
She said that both a meter inspector and an independent electrician confirmed the meter was faulty.
After contacting the energy ombudsman, the decision was made that the ombudsman was "not satisfied that YGP investigated the apparent mismatch between the meter registers and the three-rate billing arrangement adequately or promptly".
The ombudsman instructed the company to send an engineer to inspect the meter within 28 days, but Ms Gomery said this has not yet happened.
She said debt collectors have already "aggressively entered the pub, demanding to look at the meter".
The owners say their profit margins are "very tight", with their cheapest pint of lager priced at just £4.50, meaning the £55,000 bill would be unaffordable.
The pub's 20 staff also face losing their jobs unless the bill is rescinded.
Yorkshire Gas and Power have been contacted for comment.
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