TWO pensioners who get up in the middle of the night to do household chores to save cash, say they have been bemused by media attention once their story became public. Bill and Glad Devine, from Gorefield, work on the basis that by cooking and cleaning be

TWO pensioners who get up in the middle of the night to do household chores to save cash, say they have been bemused by media attention once their story became public.

Bill and Glad Devine, from Gorefield, work on the basis that by cooking and cleaning between 11pm and 7am they can save money by using cheaper electricity.

Mrs Devine is often up at 2am to put the washing on and she's been known to get back out of bed three hours later to hang it out to dry.

Their economy saving tale made it onto BBC Radio Cambridgeshire last week - courtesy of their son Johnny Dee- and suddenly they got calls from media outlets throughout the country.

Mr Devine, 87, told the BBC: "We had to pay £50 to put a meter in at a dual price rate.

"The rate is 3.9p to 7.9p - obviously you're saving yourself 4p on every unit you've used.

"I don't know how many units we use in a day but it's surprising how it mounts up."

The couple have switched to a deal with their energy suppliers which offers a 3.9p per unit rate at night - compared with 7.9p during the day.

The couple go to bed at about 10pm and then set their alarm clock to get up for different tasks.

Mrs Devine, 81, said she sometimes rose at 3am to put a chicken in the oven rather than cook it during the day.

The couple believe their routine - that includes washing, ironing and even vacuuming in the middle of the night- could catch on.

Her husband added: "We are not doing this because we are destitute. We just want to try and save a few pounds.

"If you could buy your petrol at the garage for half price between 11pm and 7am, when would you fill up your car?