Chased to grave by social security

WIDOW Lysiane Duwel got so tired of getting letters from the Régime Social des Indépendants (RSI) addressed to her late husband that she wrote a sarcastic letter back giving his new address as the local graveyard: and then the letters started to arrive there.

The social security agency claimed Yvon Duwel, who died in May 2009, had not paid cotisations and threatened to take enforcement action.

Mr and Mrs Duwel had run a barge since 1971 and after he died Mrs Duwel completed all the necessary paperwork, including a final payment to the RSI less than a week after his death.

She said that when the RSI wrote to him at her home in Arleux, Nord, she did not dare tell anyone about it as she feared they would think her mad.

When the letters started arriving at the Arleux cemetery, they were kept by the watchman and passed on to the mairie.

The local RSI director apologised and said it would change its procedures.