Crackdown on forced prepayment meters ordered by government

The authorities has demanded that vigor suppliers halt forcing susceptible households connected to prepayment meters.

Business Secretary Grant Shapps' announcement comes aft calls for a prohibition connected the signifier from charities including Citizens Advice.

Increasing numbers of radical are being near without vigor oregon airy erstwhile they are incapable to spend metre top-ups.

He added that helium would "name and shame" those suppliers "doing obscurity adjacent enough" for susceptible customers.

"This enactment is portion of a thrust to summation transparency astir prepayment metre installations," Mr Shapps wrote successful a missive to vigor suppliers.

Energy firms should archetypal marque greater efforts to assistance those struggling to wage their bills, specified arsenic offering recognition oregon indebtedness advice, Mr Shapps told them.

Citizens Advice has said forcibly switching radical should beryllium banned, adding it had seen a large emergence successful clients needing situation support, similar an exigency grant.

Head of vigor policy, Gillian Cooper, welcomed the announcement, saying: "Millions of radical are being near successful cold, acheronian and damp homes due to the fact that they can't spend to apical up their meter. No 1 should beryllium forced to unrecorded similar this."

She said if suppliers did not co-operate, the authorities indispensable measurement successful with "stronger action". She besides called for "further protections" for those already utilizing prepayment meters.

British Gas has already announced that it volition halt switching radical onto prepayment meters via their astute meters erstwhile they conflict to wage their bills.

Audrey Ridson, 81, was switched to 1 adjacent though she could not locomotion to the store to apical up her vigor card.

Audrey from Hampshire was successful infirmary recovering from a autumn erstwhile her vigor steadfast switched her to a prepayment relationship - adjacent though her daughter-in-law warned her supplier that Audrey would conflict to get to the shops to marque a outgo to apical up her meter.

But the authorities volition halt abbreviated of an outright prohibition owed to concerns implicit a consequent summation successful bailiff action.

Mr Shapps wrote: "Suppliers are intelligibly jumping the weapon and moving at-risk customers connected to prepayment meters earlier offering them the enactment they are entitled to."

He wanted suppliers to "lend a much sympathetic ear" to those struggling amidst rising costs of living.

"I americium profoundly acrophobic to spot reports of customers being switched to prepayment meters against their will, with immoderate disconnected from proviso - and rather virtually near successful the dark", helium added.