Holiday park hit with 'nightmare' £224K bill - 100 times higher than normal

06 January 2024 , 12:36

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Patrick Langmaid was left forking out £224,000 on an energy bill charging him 100 times more than usual (Image: BBC Spotlight)

A holiday park owner is reeling at a £224,000 energy bill they were sent, which is more than 100 times over what they usually pay.

Patrick Langmaid has aired his concerns over the "nightmare" situation unfolding at Martha's Orchard holiday park in Constantine Bay, Cornwall. Usual energy bills at the property range from £2,100 to £2,700, but £224,000 has since been taken from Langmaid's account.

The December 28 payout stunned the holiday park owner who has since received an apology from TotalEnergies for the issue. They confirmed the "erroneous invoice" and confirmed he would receive a refund by Friday, January 12.

Martha's Orchard is set to receive a refund for its missing £224,000

A TotalEnergies spokesman said: 'We are taking steps to ensure that this error can't be repeated and we are also investigating our initial response to the incident, to ascertain what we could have done better upon initial contact and how we can learn from this going forward. We understand the seriousness of this situation and the issues it can cause and apologise unreservedly to Martha's Orchard."

But the money taken from the account, Mr Langmaid says, is used to pay his employees and suppliers. He has since hit out at TotalEnergies and suggested they have a maximum payment cap on direct debit payments. Patrick, speaking to the BBC, said: "It's not beyond the wit of man to come up with a model that doesn't allow them to take the money in the first place."

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His price hike comes as November 2023 saw the business charged for 901,593 units, a massive increase on the 1,409 a month in the preceding October. TotalEnergies later asked him to send meter reading photos, a request which, along with communications from the representatives of the energy provider, frustrated Mr Langmaid and made him feel "in the wrong". He added the company made him feel as though he had to "justify why we should get our £250,000 back."

Ewan Gleadow