The News Minute | January 21, 2015 | 03:46 pm IST

When five-year-old Alex Nash, from Plymouth, England, missed a friend's birthday party, an invoice for $24 as not-showing-up fee was sent to his parents by his friend's mother, reports Daily Mail .

The party was scheduled at a local ski park in December, but Alex could not attend it as he went to meet his grandparents. The party at the ski centre included snow tubing, three toboggan rides per child and lunch.

Alex's parents, Tanya Walsh and her partner Derek Nash, were shocked to receive the invoice in Alex's backpack when he returned from school on January 15. The invoice from Dec. 14 states "1 Childs Party No Show Fee" at a cost of $24.

When Alex's parents refused to pay, Julie Lawrence, the mother of the child who's birthday party Alex missed, threatened to drag them to court.

Tanya Walsh told the Daily Mail that she messaged Lawrence on Facebook in an attempt to say sorry and settle things amicably, but the latter responded saying, "The amicable way I believe is for you to pay me the money. And let that be a lesson learnt".

When Derek Nash went to meet Lawrence, 'it ended in an argument'. Julie 'shouted down the street: "Don't mess with me", said Tanya adding that they 'didn't mean to let them down.

Alex's parents apparently did not have Lawrence's contact detail and so could not inform them that their son would not be able to make it to the birthday party.

Julie argued that 'All details were on the party invite. They had every detail needed to contact me.'

The Daily Mail in its report also published part of the Facebook conversation between Tanya Walsh and Julie Lawrence. Read it here.