MEMBERS of a workingmen’s club are celebrating after getting an £86,000 payback from mobile operator Vodafone because they have been footing the bill for the phone giant’s electric for the past 12 years.

And it’s all thanks to the lockdown.

Committee members at Northallerton WMC which has over 900 members noticed that while the club was out of operation for months on end during the pandemic their electric bill was still running at up to £1,400 a month.

As part of the Club and Institute Union, CIU, they were urged to bring in Nationwide Energy Consultants, who investigated and worked with Vodafone to repay the money.

A Vodafone mobile telephone mast had been erected on the club in 2009. What the club didn’t realise was that there was a sub meter and they should have been invoicing the mobile operator for electric.

They found the meter had been round the clock an unknown number of times but the consultants managed to work out how much electricity had been used and what was owed.

Club President Mick Herron said: “We were surprised, we had no idea the sub meter was being fed from our supply.

"During the lockdown there was only CCTV, fire and burglar alarms and the absolute basics running but we were still getting these big bills so we knew something had to be wrong.

“Nationwide Energy were brilliant, they sorted it all out with Vodafone. And we would advise any other club or business to check.”

Secretary Jeff Lewis said they worked out up to 80 per cent of their bills were down to the Vodafone mast.

The windfall has meant the club can invest in the future, members have redecorated the whole place over the lockdown, events are being organised and they’re promoting better entertainment to encourage people back.

They’re also opening their spruced up concert room free to charities, at the latest concert over £530 was raised for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. They are also hoping to open up the space for daytime events.

Mr Lewis said: “We thought at first during lockdown the readings were wrong because we had switched to a new supplier, then it became obvious that something else was wrong, we really had no idea about the sub meter.

"We are really grateful to CIU and Nationwide Energy. This money will safeguarde the future of this club for a long time to come.”

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