John, if someone notices I'm about to freeze to death I'd be glad for any help. So if there is a specific sign of danger I'd appreciate rule breakers. However, death by freezing was an extremely unlikely outcome, one of many possibles. The couple could have moved in with relations, could have gone for winter to a warmer place, could have gone to Social Service themselves and many other possibilities.

I still do not see from the information I have anyone should have acted just upon a mere low-probability possibility. Should Social Serve be informed in any case of someone not paying the bill? Age, BTW, is not an information the German gas providing bodies have of their clients because we only give them the information they really need. And they do have to know my age for that service.

We discuss here with hindsight that is we know the outcome in that particular case. The quality of the decision has to be looked at from what was known at the time of the decision.

an elderly couple froze to death after Brittish Gas cut their gas off 'after' is read by most posters here as 'because of' which may be completely wrong. Many different other causes can have led to the death. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc could be right here, but let us not disregard it could as well be wrong.

Wolfgang