VILLAGERS have signed a petition objecting to a change in the system for paying electricity bills.
At present, people living in Thornley can pay their bills using cards at the local post office. But following the takeover of Northern Electric and Gas by npower, the system is being reviewed, with new rules for payments taking effect in January.
Instead of using the post office, residents will have to travel to Wheatley Hill to pay their bills.
Councillor Morris Nicholls, Durham county councillor for Wheatley Hill, Thornley, and Deaf Hill, said: "I don't think npower realises that even though it is in the DH6 area like Thornley, Wheatley Hill is about two-and-a-half miles away for some people."
He said he hoped to reach an agreement with the firm before January.
An npower spokesman said once the transfer of customers from Northern Electric and Gas was complete, a regular payment service would be introduced.
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