Volunteers who run a Christian book shop in Dover say they are putting their faith in God after being hit with a massive energy bill.

The Weigh-Inn, in Worthington Street, was originally given a refund of £800 by energy-provider EDF, but they later said they had made a mistake and sent them a bill for £1,400.

Ann and George Walton have run the shop, which also includes a cafe, for 13 years.

It was originally a loose food shop, and it expanded to include Christian books, cards and other items in 2002.

But it has lived a hand-to-mouth existence ever since, and several times there have been fears that the shop might close because of a lack of funding.

So, faced with a rent bill at the beginning of the year, it seemed like the answer to a prayer when EDF asked for a meter reading and then told Mrs Walton that their account was in credit to the tune of £900.

“We asked for £800 to be refunded, and left £100 credit in the account,” she said. “We used the money that was returned to pay the rent which we owed at the time.

“But now they have told us they made a mistake. The credit was based on an estimated reading, and not on the reading we had sent them. They said we owed them £1,400.

“We have managed to make one payment of £500 towards it. Three weeks ago I sent them another meter reading and asked them to let me know the balance as soon as possible so that we could be clear about what we owed.

“I haven’t heard anything since."

A spokeswoman for EDF told the Mercury: "We will be contacting the customer to apologise for the discrepancies in their bills and discuss the matter further, including affordable repayment options. "

Full story in this week's Dover Mercury.