Council went 17 years without paying for its gas supply

The oversight was discovered when a boiler broke down at the council's offices in Well Lane, Beverley

A council is facing a large bill after it was discovered it has not paid for its gas supply for 17 years.

Beverley Town Council launched an investigation after discovering it "does not have a gas supplier, despite using and receiving gas since 2004".

The problem was uncovered when a boiler broke down in November at its offices in Well Lane.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) told the authority that there "had never been a registered gas supply".

In a report presented to the council, the company confirmed it would seek back payment for the fuel used.

"NGN have confirmed that they will use standard rates provided to them by the gas regulator, Ofgem, to calculate a back payment going back to 2004 for unpaid for gas," the report said.

The East Yorkshire council is contacting an energy firm to sign up for a gas supply.

It has asked one of its councillors, David Tucker to investigate the "serious issue" and his report is due by the end of the month.

The council runs local services in the market town, such as allotments, parks and CCTV systems.

Its proposed budget for the next financial year is just over £1m.