Oswestry Town Council could avoid having to pay a disputed £58,000 electric bill in full after energy firm bosses hinted they were ready to make “a gesture of goodwill” to resolve the row.

The council has been in dispute with British Gas over the bill which the energy company says it owes for electricity supplied to the Powis Hall market building.

Council bosses suggested the apparent error was due to British Gas not billing them properly for several years. British Gas energy experts visited the hall and insisted the bill was correct.

But the company today indicated that a compromise could be about to be reached.

British Gas spokeswoman Sian Callaghan said: “We visited the Market Hall and tested everything and could not find anything wrong.

“We discovered the hall has four very large electric blowers with booster buttons which allow people if they are feeling a bit chilly to put the heating up more which could in part explain the increased costs.

“The higher bills could also be a reflection on the increased cost of electricity the council has been charged since 2006.

“These increased costs have affected all companies and customers and in any event even if the council was being charged its rate from 2006 the bill would still stand at about £30,000.”

She said: “We are in discussions with the council to resolve this and the way forward may be some sort of gesture of goodwill.”

The town council’s finance chief Roger Dyke said he hoped the matter could be resolved as quickly as possible.