I AM very proud of my daughter who has worked extremely hard to achieve her goals. She lives independently of me and does not claim any benefits from the state. She pays her bills on time and is not in debt, though there is never any money left over at the end of the month.

Recently, her home was broken into by a drunk and aggressive man and while she was on the telephone to the police, he ripped the wires out of the wall.

British Telecom, in their infinite wisdom, saw fit to charge her £135 to repair the damage and she was given seven days to pay the bill. They will not negotiate with her. Because she has a payment plan for bills, she cannot set up a second one and they will not add it to her bill so that she can pay it off monthly. They are totally insensitive to her plight and the fact that she is a victim of a crime.

Would anyone be able to come up with £135 with only seven days' notice? I am not sure I could.

LOVING MUM