Son blames gas firm for pensioner deaths

The son of the elderly couple who died after their gas supply was cut off has condemned British Gas.

George Saxon's father George Bates, 89, and mother Gertrude, 86, were found dead at their home in Tooting in October.

It was 13 weeks after their heating and cooking supplies were disconnected because of an unpaid £140 bill. Mr Bates died of hypothermia and his wife suffered a heart attack.

Last night, at his home in Kent, Mr Saxon, 63, said he hoped "lessons have been learned" from his parents' deaths. It has sparked calls for a change to the Data Protection-Act which British Gas cited as the reason why they were prevented from passing customers' health or financial information to social services. However, firms are permitted to make exemptions if a customer is considered at risk.

Mr Saxon said: "If the people at British Gas had just used their common sense and called social services - or if not, the police - they could have prevented my parents' deaths.

"They had been paying their bill without fail for so long it should have rung alarm bells when they missed a payment. It wasn't as if they didn't have the money. They weren't struggling financially but my mum, who had gone a bit potty, might have argued over the bill."

Mr Saxon, a retired electrician and bricklayer, was estranged from his parents. He said he did not get on with his father and that his mother had been a psychiatric patient for 20 years.

At an inquest into the case, the coroner called for a review of the Data Protection Act. Home Secretary David Blunkett is believed to be considering changes to the law.