Davies, 44, said some letters from the council had arrived late because of delayed deliveries and she ended up facing threats of court action and bailiffs.
“I ended up being in a lot of trouble Christmas time, money-wise,” she said.
“I didn’t think I was going to be able to get stuff for my kids for Christmas.”
She said panic made her shut down.
“I stopped answering the phone, I stopped reading letters.”
It was mid-January when she thought, ‘I’ve got to do something about this’.
“Now I’ve got a payment plan I’m not scared of having to pay it all in one go.”
She said the council was “helpful” when she got in touch, but “if they’d been there in the beginning, if they’d gone ‘oh, hang on, this month hasn’t been paid’, and made a phone call, the problem could have been addressed sooner and been less stressful”.
