DVLA wrote to my dead dad to tell him his driving licence had expired

Rachael Clark holds a representation of her begetter astatine the determination wherever helium is buried. (Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS)

Rachael Clark has been bombarded with letters and emails from the DVLA and Scottish Power addressed to her precocious begetter Richard who died successful 2022.

Despite informing the companies that her 85-year-old begetter had been dormant for 2 years, the letters and emails person continued.

In a heartbreaking coincidence, a missive from the DVLA addressed to Richard arrived connected October 25 – the day of his death.

In the letter, the authorities bureau asked Richard to renew his licence which had “expired”.

Rachael was truthful incensed she sent the missive backmost to the DVLA, on with the code of Belper Cemetery wherever helium begetter is buried.

The household person besides been deluged with correspondence from Scottish Power who continued to constitute to Richard astir his vigor usage.

The institution included Richard's sanction successful each email they sent contempt the household notifying them that helium had died.

The concern became truthful distressing Rachael moved her parent Pat, 82, to a antithetic vigor supplier.

Education manager Rachael, 56, said: "It is conscionable truthful painful. It drags up each that nonaccomplishment and grief each implicit again.

"I conscionable deliberation they don't care, they are putting nett earlier people, and yet they are not bothered astir the knock-on effects of that.

Rachael Clark's begetter Richard Clark with his woman successful 1964. (Image: Rachael Clark / SWNS)

“It’s been chiefly emails from Scottish Power.

“They’ve been the biggest origin of angst arsenic it’s been 2 years of trying to get dads details removed from mum's account.

“Ever since we mislaid dada we’ve called them asking them to region his name, we get endless emails.

“Each clip they’d nonstop immoderate correspondence, each clip dad’s sanction was connected it.

“After I sent the missive backmost to the DVLA, they phoned me. They didn't cognize it was going to get connected the anniversary.

“That was precise unfortunate that it arrived connected the anniversary. I thought not ‘another one’, this has been ridiculous.

“On the signifier it asked america for dad’s code truthful I conscionable enactment ‘Belper Cemetery’ and sent it back.

“I person nary thought what's happened to dad’s driving licence – I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if it had been sent to the cemetery.”

"I deliberation companies request to instrumentality this earnestly due to the fact that everybody, sadly, is going to beryllium affected astatine immoderate constituent successful their beingness by bereavement.

"They request to recognize the interaction of their action, oregon deficiency of action."

Richard passed distant pursuing aggregate wellness issues including bosom problems.

Just weeks earlier the 2nd day of his decease Scottish Power emailed him, asking him to supply a caller password.

Rachael Clark's begetter Richard Clark. (Image: Rachael Clark / SWNS)

Rachael, a improvement manager, said: “Scottish Power’s full cognition close crossed the committee has been ‘we don’t care’.

“We were conscionable speechless, we thought we’d done everything that we needed to do.

“These organisations trust connected systems that aren’t acceptable for purpose.

"It's horrible, you are surviving with that nonaccomplishment each azygous time and you person got these changeless reminders.

"You thought you had done everything you needed to do, past you get these emails and letters successful the station and it brings it each backmost to you.”

Scottish Power and the DVLA person apologised for the blunder.

A Scottish Power spokesperson said: "The caller email received should not person been addressed to him arsenic each relationship holder details had been changed backmost successful March of this twelvemonth - we are precise atrocious this happened.

"We recognize however upsetting it tin beryllium to person bills and requests for payments addressed to a loved 1 who is nary longer with us, and we bash everything we tin to assistance our customers during this period.

"However, we are besides required by instrumentality to conscionable definite rules erstwhile it comes to discussing relationship accusation with idiosyncratic who is not named connected the relationship which can, regrettably, origin a hold successful amending relationship details."

A DVLA spokesperson said: "We sympathise with Miss Clark and recognize the distress caused.

"We urge radical usage Tell Us Once service, but unfortunately, connected this juncture we did not person notification that Mr Clark had passed distant and we are looking into wherefore this happened.

"A subordinate of unit volition interaction Miss Clark straight to sermon the lawsuit further."