I would have thought EDF have enough to do in France let alone England

If asked to name the three worst things about France I would cite the electricity supply, the telephone system and the endemic inability of the French to speak slowly even when their attention is drawn to the fact you cannot understand French if it is delivered at rapid pace.

EDF are the leading French energy company and following the massive disruption in 2007, when millions of homes were cut off from electricity for anything up to a week, we have been told there has been a massive rethink in France.

The problem in 2007 was the fact it snowed heavily and with heavy snow. It was not just the normal snow, we were informed, but heavy snow and it certainly lay crisp and even and very deep. Seventeen inches in 24 hours will cause disruption in most countries, but it hit areas of France quite severely, because electricity is conveyed by cable on poles, much like telegraph poles, and these are susceptible to falling down in gales, heavy snowfalls or as the result of bad driving etc, with the attendant result of disrupted service.

It is said they intend placing their electricity supply underground but can you imagine the cost involved in taking down the wooden poles (some of which have been replaced with metal or concrete) and putting the whole grid underground? Maybe the energy consumers in the UK will be unwitting helpers via their monthly or quarterly payments.

Suffice to say I think that was no more than a rumour for clearly the supply continues to be conveyed from poles and cables, because we get power cuts when there are storms, high winds or heavy rain. We have yet to suffer snow this year but doubtless, if it should fall, it will cause further disruption to the supply.

One Saturday last September, while watching television, I experienced 17 power cuts. They were brief, most lasting no more than a second or two but sufficient to cut off the telly, close down the computer and negate the simple password I have chosen for the telephone/computer modem, and return it to a 16 digit mixture of letters and numbers, which we usually have to work jointly to read out and install.

At times our EDF supply reminds us of Third World facilities.

They are also less than efficient when it comes to dealing with customers.

In May 2013, we leased out The Folly in Limousin to our friends Dave and Donna. It has a large garage, and two substantial outhouses with fitted kitchen and bathroom. At the same time, we decided to cut off the electricity supply to our house in Benevent, which like so many others in France has not sold.

We telephoned EDF at Gueret, who asked us to write the confirmation, provided us with the address and we duly sent off the letter. We had checked it with our next door neighbour to make sure the instructions were clear. We also explained that the Folly was now the responsibility of Dave and Donna.

They sent us a bill, and a form in which to fill in the meter reading but no attempt was made to cut off our supply. We phoned and complained but still we kept getting bills, most of which were estimated based on consumption when we used to live there, and not read from the dial which they installed outside the house and Folly years ago.

Finally we made them understand the house was empty and they read the meter and reimbursed us for the overpayment in late November. However, they did not cut off the electricity off. We wrote again, repeating the fact we wanted the supply terminated and that our other property, The Folly, was now the responsibility of the Dave and Donna in as far as electricity is concerned.

As it happens, after visiting our properties in late November, we found the electricity was still on, all the lights having been left on by a friendly estate agent showing customers round our property. We complained, wrote again on a registered letter.

Dave phoned the other day to tell us they had called in and picked up the key, and turned off the electricity, seven months after we had made the request. What neither he nor I knew, was that they also went up The Folly and cut the electricity off there.

After a couple of days, Dave discovered The Folly supply had been switched off and contacted EDF. He explained that he was responsible for the supply, and that he had not asked for it to be cut off.

“Happen I just saw EDF van going up the road, turning off Rue de Montlery and onto Rue de Croix, clearly heading oop Folly,” Dave’s broad Lancashire tones informed me. “So I set off oop Folly, but the EDF van was not there. Donna had seen it go down Montlery again.”

Donna happened to look out and saw the EDF van outside our house where they were.....wait for it....attempting to put the supply back on.

Donna managed to catch them in time and, upon looking at their job sheet, they noted that they were supposed to turn on the supply at The Folly – a supply they should never have turned off in the first place.

So the energy firms are putting up the prices in the UK. I hope you EDF-users get something like an efficient service. We don’t.

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