Stunned man slapped with £1,750 bill for telling emergency services about fire

11 April 2023 , 10:23

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The man was stung with a huge bill after his caretaker called the fire brigade (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A man says he has been slapped with a £1,750 bill - just for calling the emergency services to tell them about a fire.

David Roche from Cork, Ireland, says he was stunned to receive an invoice for €2,024 - and vowed to fight it all the way.

He was overseas when when the caretaker of his property called the local fire brigade to alert them to the worrying situation.

The worker wanted them to assist with local gorse fires which have been raging through the local area.

With the Sheep’s Head community in danger, the call was made "out of a civic duty" and firefighters never entered his property.

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The firefighters were called after the blaze was spotted (Corbis via Getty Images)

But Mr Roche couldn't believe what he was reading after opening his mail last week to discover the bill.

He is demanding it is written off after writing a "strongly worded letter" to Cork County Council.

He also claims the neighbours have not been faced with paying a huge fee despite also asking the emergency services to come out.

But he says a number of residents in West Cork have also received similar invoices in recent weeks.

Angry Mr Roche told Echo Live Ireland that the authorities are playing a dangerous game.

He fears people are going to be too frightened to call emergency service if they fear they'll be billed.

He says he will take on the council and is concerned many will be put off calling in an emergency (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

"This shouldn’t be about prosecuting innocent people and harassing them with outlandish bills for what is essentially their civic duty, this is ridiculous and unwarranted," he said.

"The invoices are shocking and beyond most people’s ability to pay.

“They cannot bill you if you do not enter the property, one cannot be charged for a fire on the commonage."

He said he is not going down without a fight and plans to battle the huge bill.

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Cork Council said: "Where fire charges apply, they will issue to the beneficiary of the service, which is not necessarily the person who makes the call. Invoices are raised based on available information. Fire charges will be reviewed if new information relevant to the charge is provided."

Mr Roche isn't the first person to be stung by a whopping demand.

Leo Bolger, a local business owner in Ballydehob, received a bill for a total of €6,116 (£5,365) after the Schull and Bantry Fire Brigades services were called to extinguish gorse fires in March.

Sam Elliott-Gibbs