PENSIONER Barbara Thompson thought it was bad enough when a vandal smashed her window at midnight.

But things got worse when the police-approved firm who fixed the damage billed her for £432.69, which another firm said was "atrocious."

Barbara, 76, of Oswald Street, Accrington, was woken by the sound of breaking glass and she got out of bed to find police officers inspecting the damage.

The police called in Huddersfield-based firm EG Glass to board up the window that night, and the company later returned to replace the broken pane.

The firm then sent her a bill for £432.69 - £113 for the emergency call-out, £41 for labour and £270 for the glass, which is just one metre square.

Barbara said: "I was going to pay it, but some friends told me it was very expensive and other firms would have done it for about £90. I hope it is a mistake because everyone has been saying it is a lot for one piece of glass.

"Apparently they fitted safety glass but I thought it was just ordinary glass."

Her friends asked Accrington firm Denbigh Plumbers and Property Repairers for a quote.

Boss Vincent Denbigh said: "The price this lady has been charged is absolutely atrocious. You could get a piece of armour plated glass that size for less than £40."

EG Glass were recently won a police contract for a trial scheme to carry out all emergency window boarding throughout East Lancashire's two police divisions. The work used to be spread out between local companies, but the force decided to appoint single contractors as part of a one-year trial scheme aimed at cutting costs and paperwork.

EG Glass confirmed the original figure of £432.69 was correct and said they had reduced the bill by £82 as a goodwill gesture.

The firm said laminated glass had to be used instead of normal glass in some windows, but was unable to say why laminated glass had been used in Mrs Thompson's case.

Lancashire Police purchasing and contracts manager Peter Hickson said: "We knew this firm's prices would be higher than what people have been charged previously. But they have extra costs to cover under the trial scheme and are obliged to attend each incident within 30 minutes.

"The company are only responsible for boarding up the window. Any further work has to be agreed with the customer. I can only assume that this lady has given permission for the window to be replaced.

"Even so, I will take this matter up with the company because I am concerned about the level of charges."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.