BUNGLING bosses at Northern Powergrid delivered a Storm Arwen compensation shock to a Tynedale family.

The Hendersons were given a cheque for £1,580,000,956,104.

The Henderson family were told by the company they were entitled to £700 in compensation for loss of electricity and received an initial cheque of £420 on Saturday, February 12.

Danielle Henderson, 41, then received another cheque for more than £1trillion around lunchtime.

The farm just outside of Allendale where she and her family live lost power for a whole week during Storm Arwen.

They were expecting to receive the follow-up compensation of £280 from Northern Powergrid according to what they said the family was owed.

Danielle rang Northern Powergrid after opening the cheque, who told her she should have received £140, half of what they had been told they were due.

“It’s so stressful having to constantly chase them. It’s been a nightmare to be honest,” Danielle said.

Guy Opperman MP for Hexham said: “It is completely unacceptable that after over two months since Storm Arwen some of my constituents have still not received the compensation they are entitled to.

“Northern Powergrid must make it an absolute priority to expedite compensation cheques to those that still haven’t received them."

Since Storm Arwen, the Henderson family has lost power again twice, for one full day and a whole weekend.

“The thing that annoys me the most is they just give you more empty promises,” Danielle said.

Danielle said it was a struggle to adjust during the power cuts. “Everyone’s so used to the lifestyle of having electricity, it’s a completely different way of life now compared to what it used to be.”

She is on the Allendale Parish Council which has been trying to get an emergency plan together for the Allen Valley.

“We’re aware that we need an essential point of communication within the community. There’s too many fractured groups and we need one coordinated organisation to better communicate everything, so the most vulnerable aren’t missed or forgotten,” Danielle added.

A spokeswoman for Northern Powergrid said 74 £1tn cheques were issued: “We have corrected an administration error that affected a small number of cheques and we are continuing to process the remaining payments as fast as we can.”