Elderly couple died after gas was cut off
Richard Alleyne
Daily Telegraph
(23/12/2003)

An elderly couple who died within weeks of their gas supply being cut off for failing to pay a bill had thousands of pounds worth of savings, an inquest was told yesterday.

The bodies of George Bates, 89, and his wife Gertrude, 86, were found together in the living room of their £500,000 house about three months after their supply had been disconnected.

Mr Bates, who was slumped in his armchair, had died of hypothermia. His wife was at his feet having suffered a heart attack. Although they owed just £140.62, police found £1,400 in cash in the home and £19,000 in two building society accounts.

Dr Paul Knapman, the Westminster coroner, conceded that British Gas had followed procedures correctly but said that "neglect" had contributed to Mr Bates's death.

"The fact is we end up with an elderly couple who have lived in a house for 64 years having their gas disconnected," he said. "They are elderly and there is nobody in authority informed. This is a hugely regrettable set of circumstances."

The hearing at Westminster Coroner's court heard that the couple, who had always paid their bills on time, inexplicably stopped paying in March.

Eventually, on Aug 1, British Gas sent an official to their house in Tooting, south-west London. He turned off the gas after no one came to the door.

Dr Knapman recorded a verdict of accidental death for Mr and Mrs Bates.

He said: "I shall write to the Information Commissioner and bring to his attention the fact that this disconnection could not be brought to the attention of the social services because of the provisions of the Data Protection Act."