The BBC will apologise to the mother of missing university cook Claudia Lawrence after letters about licence fee payments were sent to her daughter’s property.

On Tuesday (March 15) mother of Claudia Lawrence revealed that letters still arrive at the house from the TV licensing authority, including threats of a £1,000 fine and court action.

Joan Lawrence, who will be 80 this summer, said ahead of the 14th anniversary of her disappearance this weekend: “You’d think they’d know by now, after all the publicity, wouldn’t you? It’s unbelievable. I’ve written to tell them what’s happened, and the police are supposed to be sorting it out, but the letters still come.

Read more: BBC threatens Claudia Lawrence's family over unpaid TV licence fee

“I probably get two or three a year and one of them earlier this year was really nasty, saying they’d take it to court and it would threaten my credit rating. It’s horrible because I’m not someone who’s ever had any debts – I pay my way straight away. It’s horrible.”

TV Licensing last night pledged to put a stop to the letters being sent to the house.

Joan is also to explore the possibility of handing her missing daughter’s empty house over to a charity to help people in need.

“I’ve always wanted something good to come out of this, and there’s no point in the house just standing empty forever,” said Joan.

The two-bedroomed terraced house in Heworth, in the suburbs of York, was a crime scene at the start of the long-running inquiry, but now Joan says it has been left “in limbo”.

In response to the controversy, a spokesman for the broadcaster said: “We’re very sorry for the distress caused to Mrs Lawrence and we will be apologising to her directly. We have taken steps to ensure no further letters are sent to the address.”

Automated letters were sent to the property in August last year. They were not addressed directly to Ms Lawrence but were standard letters relating to an unlicensed property, the PA news agency understands.

Ms Lawrence’s mother contacted the BBC in September 2022 but only a temporary pause was put in place and automated letters restarted in February this year.