A 78-year-old British grandmother was shocked after the utility company mistakenly declared her dead over a £60 bill.

A 78-year-old grandmother in the UK sent a debt collection letter addressed to the executor of her estate after a utility company mistakenly registered her as dead.Jeanette Pye later discovered that the letter had been sent by debt collection agency Phillips and Cohen Associates on behalf of Southern Water over an alleged unpaid bill of £60.87, Metro reports.The letter reportedly offered condolences on her “death” before requesting payment linked to her water account, although monthly payments continue to be in her bank account.The account had previously been registered jointly with her late husband, Paul Bay, who died in 2020, which appears to have caused the error.Pye said Southern Water had already been informed of her husband’s death years earlier and criticized the company for failing to contact her directly before referring the case to debt collectors.“They have made a direct debit every month for the past five years from my bank account,” Pai told Metro.“If Southern Water spoke to me and said: ‘Mrs bye, you owe £60,’ that’s fine, I’ll pay it. That’s what bothered me.”She also said the letter could have been very upsetting for seniors living alone without family support.The debt collection notice said Southern Water had been informed she had “sadly passed away” and claimed the unpaid amount could become the responsibility of her estate.

Her son, Mark Bay, said the family was deeply disturbed by the situation.“I thought it was a scam at first,” he said.“She’s almost 80 years old. Something like that could seriously affect someone.”Daughter Paula McVicar also questioned why payments were still being accepted when the company believed the account holder was dead.“How can you talk to the bill payer when you think she’s dead?” She said.The account has only since been transferred into Bye’s name and the disputed balance removed as a goodwill gesture.A Southern Water spokesman apologized for the incident and confirmed an investigation had been opened.“We regret this error, which caused Ms. Pai unnecessary suffering,” the spokesman said, according to Metro.“We are now reviewing our processes to understand exactly what went wrong and ensure it does not happen again.”