BCW - What you should know [Insider]

Hi,

Today, I got a final letter from BCW stating that, I owe £25.62 to orange. If is not settled they would recommend clients commence legal proceedings. I used orange monthly rolling contract and I am very well informed them before closing the account and I don't remember anything I owe them.

Now, please advice what to do ? shall I pay them or ignore the letter.

What actually is the statute period before a debt should be considered 'written off' please?
Approximately 10 years ago I lived at a different address and had debts that I simply had no money to be in a position to pay through suffering a long term illness (current). I was forced to move address to a more affordable home. Wrongly, I never left a forwarding address for these debts but they traced me to my new home through the new occupants of my old address. I never acknowledged my new address to any of these companies and have ignored all further correspondence. Suffice to say, they have not established 100% my living at this address by physically witnessing my residence. I incurred these debts from 1996 to 2003 amassing a sum total of around £12k between three companies: MasterCard, Capital One & Nat West - I have absolutely no intentions towards the last company as they amount to scurrilous charges for OD and DD payments. When I asked for a record of statements for the last six years from the bank they sent me both my account records and that of another customer in which I traced back the owner whom was most angry that I could now see in front of me all their financial concerns. I was quite happy to retain this 'error' for use in court should NatWest peruse the matter for debt recovery as evidence that 'Banks don't make mistakes'!
Anyway, back to the point in question - neither company has ascertained my definite whereabouts since, at best, 2003 and at worst, 1996. I get occasional mail or calls from these companies but have not responded. What is the term for a debt to be valid before it becomes written off under the statute of limitation laws?
I have not tried to avoid these debts out of malice or irresponsibility but out of fear and ignorance with the additional knowledge that, as I have no income I have no means! The debts incurred were the result of my financial position at the time being vastly different to how it ended up. Prior to the debt I paid off my cards as regular as clockwork but then, through illness, lost my line of work and, as a self employed person with, what I thought was a guaranteed repayment PPI program. When I initially claimed they all said my PPI wasn't valid under 'self-employment' rules and therefore I would not have the monthly amounts repaid under this insurance. I felt cheated and then decided to cheat them by not responding to calls for repayment. They had received the additional PPI payments each month from me but did not even offer to refund this, hence why I asked the NatWest for the statements for 6 years viz Martin Lewis advice.