Pay phone bill or we'll hospitalise you, Briton told

Tue Aug 30, 9:45 PM ET

LONDON (AFP) - A British man was sent a letter threatening him with hospitalisation and horrors worse than the London bombings if he failed to pay his phone bill, a newspaper said.

The Royal Mail customer was warned in an unsigned letter on official notepaper that the terrorist attacks which killed 56 people would be nothing compared to the suffering heading his way, the Daily Mirror reported.

Kevin Harding, 39, from Carlisle in northwest England, switched phone line provider to Royal Mail as it promised cheaper calls to his girlfriend in the United States.

"Dear Mr Harding," the letter began, before informing him in mangled English his balance was going up to 600 pounds (880 euros, 1,100 dollars) from 292.65 pounds.

"Failure to pay will result in you being hospitalised," the chilling letter warned.

"If you thought the events of July 7 and July 21 were bad, that is nothing compared to what will happen to you.

"If you fail to pay your outstanding bill, we have told you verbally what we will do to you. This is just to remind you we will carry out our promise."

Royal Mail vehemently denied the letter was sent officially and vowed to launch an investigation.

Harding used international discount cards but Royal Mail refused to accept the number and charged him the full price for his trans-Atlantic calls.

"I finally got the bill down to 292.65 pounds when the threat came through demanding 600 pounds," Harding said.

"I don't know whether this was sent by mistake or by an angry worker as a cruel joke -- but you can't treat people like this," he said.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman told the Mirror: "No such letter has been sent by Post Office Ltd.

"We will be conducting our own investigation and we will be contacting the police."