A Keighley woman said she and her husband were left stunned by an accusation that they tampered with their home’s energy meter.

Yasmin Akhtar, of Springfield Road, said they had been told by British Gas that unless they paid more than £3,000 they would be cut off.

She said: “We know we’ve done nothing wrong and that we’ve got nothing to hide.”

The couple, who have four young children, were visited by a man who said he wanted to check their meter on May 28.

Mrs Akhtar, 28, a Bradford Council social worker, said the man spent at least 20 minutes alone with the device, which is in the garage of her detached three-bedroom home.

He then emerged to tell her husband that their level of gas consumption did not match the size of the property and that their meter had been tampered with.

Mrs Akhtar said the accusation was so bizarre and unexpected her husband initially laughed. She said her own first reaction was to say: “You’re having a laugh, aren’t you?”

The house’s meter was removed and sent to Bristol for a more detailed inspection.

It has been replaced but on June 8 the couple received a letter from British Gas accusing them of not paying £3,331 worth of gas since late 2006. The letter said they would be cut off if they did not pay the amount.

Mrs Akhtar argued that the man who originally came to check the meter had shown no interest in her explanation.

She said the house was hardly ever occupied as she and her husband both worked and their children were cared for at her parents’ house while they were out. She said they even eat at her parents’ home because she is “not domestic” and does not cook.

She pointed out that her house had two energy providers, with most appliances powered by Yorkshire Electricity, not British Gas.

“Only the boiler and a heater are on gas,” she explained.

“We never use the heater and the boiler is only on for a couple of hours during the night.

“We’ve just been assumed to be guilty without having a chance to put our side.”

She added that she and her family had lived in their home since December 2006 and had never previously had problems with energy suppliers. She said she would be interested in hearing from anyone else in Keighley who has recently faced a similar accusation from British Gas. She can be contacted on 01535 607531.

Sara Powell-Davies, a spokeswoman for British Gas, said: “If a property has a very low consumption compared to neighbouring properties, we do occasionally carry out proactive meter inspections to check that everything is normal with the meter in question.

“In this case, when our revenue protection officer attended the property and inspected the meter, he suspected it had been tampered with.

“The meter was then removed and exchanged for a new one, which is our standard policy in these situations.

“When the meter was tested, we found evidence that it had been tampered with.”