Teacher Adam Bainbridge found the error while checking his accounts last week, realising £145,562 had been taken out of his account by the water company.
Speaking to the Press Association, Julia Bainbridge, Mr Bainbridge’s wife, said her husband “got the shock of his life” and was in his overdraft “considerably”.
She said: “It was pre-8am when we looked at the bank account.
“And, obviously then you try to do some ring rounds, no one’s online, no one’s answering any phones.”
Mrs Bainbridge, a partner at a public relations firm, said of the £145,000 bill error: “It’s not easy if it happens to anybody, and we’re a family rushing around looking after a three-year-old trying to get ready for the nursery run and all the rest of it.
“But even more concerning is if you were a pensioner or not able to think about the various options, if you were in a more vulnerable position it would be absolutely terrifying and totally debilitating.
“As it was this morning, Adam had some bills he wanted to pay off his card and things that were due out of his account and everything was blocked. It’s such a staggering amount of money.”
Mr Bainbridge was told by a chatbot that the error would be fixed in the next payment.
Mr Bainbridge said that when he saw the debit he felt “really shocked, because you don’t feel in control of what’s being taken from your account.
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Handout screenshot by Adam Bainbridge of a £145,562 payment debited from his bank account by Thames Water. (Image: Adam Bainbridge/PA Wire)
“It seemed that the numbers being calculated had absolutely nothing to do with reality at all. We’re a residential house in north London.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We apologise unreservedly to Mr Bainbridge and his family. This was the result of human error originating from an incorrect meter reading.
“We can confirm the money has been returned to Mr Bainbridge’s bank account and we spoke to him on October 1st to say sorry.
“We are introducing additional checks to our processes to prevent this from happening again.
“We have also offered Mr Bainbridge a gesture of goodwill and are continuing to work with him to ensure the matter is fully resolved.”
Oxfordshire households could face yet another hike in their water bills.
In terms of direct debits generally, Halifax said issues with these payments should go to the organisation, rather than the customers’ banks.
It said the amount to be collected is determined by the provider and a direct debit guarantee gives consumers protection against any errors made when a direct debit is taken.
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