An elderly couple have received electricity bills of more than €2,000 even though their house in St Julian’s caught fire two years ago, destroying everything and making the place uninhabitable.

They said electricity cables outside the house had even been cut off by Enemalta as a “security precaution” but the utility bills kept coming – the amount increasing each time.

Early in the morning of September 2 in 2010, Marie Therese Borg Caruana, 67, woke up when the electric fan stopped working. She alerted her husband Alexander, now 83, who got out of bed and opened their bedroom door.

Little did they know that a short circuit had set their lower floor on fire, and as soon as Mr Borg Caruana opened the door, a blanket of smoke swept across the room.

The couple were trapped in the bedroom and had to escape through their balcony.

What service are they stopping if there is none?

Climbing down on to the window ledge on the lower floor, Ms Borg Caruana still remembers the moment when she was urged by neighbours below to let go and jump into their arms.

“It was a terrible experience that shook us. That incident took a toll on our health,” she shudders.

And the electricity bills they receive every couple of months remind them of that “horrible disaster”. The couple had to move out of the house they had lived in for 37 years because it was uninhabitable.

Meanwhile, they are unable to repair the building because they are waiting for the outcome of two court cases opened by their landlord.

And every time they receive a bill with the estimated amount they have to pay, Mr Borg Caruana heads to the ARMS offices to explain there was no power at the house.

The couple urged the company to send its officials to the house to check the burnt meter as well.

Despite being told that the tariff billing company was aware of their case, and the bills would stop, the couple last month received a warning to settle the overdue account, which if not paid within 10 days could see the company stopping the water and electricity service. An estimated bill of €2,045 followed.

“What service are they stopping if there is none?” Mr Borg Caruana asked, shuffling the stack of bills in his hands.