Cancer survivor slapped with $15,000 water bill
An Aussie man has been slapped with a $15,645.86 water bill after the Goulburn Mulwaree Council claimed he had used more than 35,000 litres a day over 104 days.
Anthony, who lives on his own in the Southern Tablelands, said that his bill is normally around $290 and that he uses about 130 litres of water a day, the average amount a person would use according to Sydney Water.
"A 15-and-a-half thousand dollar water bill, they can go and get themselves nicked," he told A Current Affair.
"I'm not paying it, no way in the world."
The local mechanic is a cancer survivor, but the disease has made it difficult for him to communicate, so he went to a council meeting with his father, Neil, who talked on his behalf.
"I couldn't believe it when he showed me the bill," Neil said.
"Currently now, we're at this point in stage where we can't get any reasonable common sense from the council.
"I said, 'It's got to be the crook meter', and she said, 'We've had a lot of meters tested and they've all come back positive.
"And I said, 'What about this meter?' and she said, 'It'll cost you $50 to have it tested but there'll be nothing wrong with it'."
Anthony is accused of using more than 3.6million litres of water, which is equivalent to filling two Olympic sized swimming pools - or having five taps running all-day.
He has received multiple emails from the local council asking him to prove his claim.
The local mechanic also said that he received an overdue bill notice ordering him to pay it immediately.
"I got an email saying I can have a payment plan and all the rest of it... like, get real," he said.
"I'm not going to pay it."
Anthony uses his own water tank to water his lawn, fill his fishpond and wash his car, and only uses town waters to wash up and shower.
He has been asked to prepare a detailed letter of his water usage, which will be presented at a council meeting later this month.
Image: Nine