A MAN threatened with a £4,000 bill for a house he has never lived in says he is relieved after the ombudsman upheld his claims over a case of mistaken identity.

Gary Benson, 60, of King Alfred Street, Barrow was handed the electricity bill in April for a property he has never owned.

He has been in a dispute with company E.ON over the true ownership of number 29 Earle Street, Barrow, ever since.

He previously said he had been 'losing sleep' as he tried to convince E.ON he was not the owner of the property.

Mr Benson lived at 22 Earle Street in 2003, just doors away from number 29, which according to an old neighbour, belongs to another Gary Benson who bought the property in September 2003.

Now he has been informed of the Ombudsman’s decision and is pleased to have been 'proved right'.

Correspondence from the Ombudsman, seen by The Mail, reads: “E.ON stated that you were responsible for the property 29 Earle Street. It states it obtained your details from the land registry, and this shows the property is registered to a Gary Benson.

“E.ON has provided a copy of the land registry. This shows the name Gary Benson and the address 29 Earle Street. However, there are no further details on this document such as an alternative address or a date of birth.”

It concluded: “I do not consider that there is enough evidence to hold you accountable for the balance on the account for 29 Earle Street, therefore I have updated the remedy to request that your details are removed from this account.”

A delighted Mr Benson said: “The Ombudsman has accepted my appeal and overturned the original decision and is to inform E.ON to remove my details from the account for this address.

“I am very happy with this outcome and it hopefully will bring to an end this period of stress and worry.

“It is great to be proved right and to have made people aware of this kind of issue.

"I am waiting for at least an apology from them.”

E.ON has been contacted for comment.