FARMER David Bentley got a shock when he received an electricity bill for a remote, empty house that is hardly ever visited.

Instead of the usual demand for about £15 for a quarter, the latest bill for the property in Lunedale, near Barnard Castle, was for £2,295.

Mr Bentley pays about £55 a quarter for power in his home at Lane Head Farm, Kelton, which he shares with his wife, Eileen.

His empty house is on an another farm in the area, where no one stays overnight. Lights are occasionally switched on when jobs are being done or during the sheep-shearing season.

The bill from npower, based on an estimate because no one has been to read the meter, calculates that 27,000 units of electricity were used during the last quarter.

Mr Bentley said: "I've read the meter myself and found that only 18 units were used during the three months. That is in line with previous quarters, so the bill should be about £15.

"I've made umpteen phone calls to the company to try to explain it and nobody seems to take much notice."

Despite an initial protest, he received a final demand for the £2,295. Then, after a further protest, he received a letter saying he could pay in instalments by direct debit.

A spokesman for npower yesterday promised to investigate the bill.