A Scots pensioner feared enforcement officers were going to turn up at his home after a receiving a text from the council saying he hadn't paid his tax bill.
Bob Bell, from Edinburgh, started panicking after the 'phantom bill' came through on April 14 for his quarterly council tax bill - which he had already paid more than two weeks before. The text stated that he owed £78, with the 73-year-old immediately calling Edinburgh city council to query the bill, but was unable to get through.
Instead, Bob sent an email to the local authority but was told that he could face a 30 day wait for a response, by which point he was likely to have sheriff officers knocking on his door. After Edinburgh Live contacted the council on Mr Bell's behalf, it was found that he had been using their freephone service to pay his bills.
