A MUM-OF-THREE has been left at “wit’s end” when the council proclaimed her DEAD by mistake.

Samantha Copburn, 35, claims her child benefit was cut as a result of the bizarre mix-up, leaving her stressed and desperate for a solution.

The trouble, according to the mother, began after her mother, Tracey Woodhead, died late last year.

When applying for a death certificate, local officials mistakenly proclaimed Samantha and her mother died on the same day.

She has now been flooded with emails concerning her alleged “death,” and HMRC has stopped her child benefit until the matter is being handled.

Samantha, the mother of Jayde, 13, Lexi, 10, and Sarah, 5, told The Sun: “It’s really stressful, but it’s also clearly quite frightening.

“I have so many letters to indicate that I am no longer alive.

“I have a letter about child benefit, asking who is going to claim for my child.

“And I have spent so many hours on the phone and I am STILL dead.

“I got so upset explaining to people that I am not dead. I thought someone had done it maliciously and if I didn’t laugh I’d just cry all the time.”

Tracey died on December 16 after being “very sick” in the hospital for the majority of the year.

Her daughters have also looked after her in previous years.

Samantha called the council after her death to receive her death certificate and to withdraw money from the mourning fund to assist pay for her burial.

But, in an odd twist, she ended up registering her own as well.

“The individual I was dealing with opened up both papers, and there was a death date next to both my and my mother’s names,” Samantha explained.

“We both passed away on the same day.”

“I’m officially dead, and I’ve been dead since December 16.”

A spokesman for HMRC verified the error and apologised for what had occurred.

“We were supplied with formal proof of the customer’s date of death and followed our standard processes,” they stated.

“We are currently rectifying our records and apologise to the consumer for any inconvenience.”