EDF suspends forced prepayment meter installations

EDF has suspended forced installation of prepayment meters aft indebtedness agents moving for British Gas were recovered to person breached successful to homes to acceptable them.

EDF, Britain's 2nd largest supplier, said it was reviewing its practices to spot if it could marque improvements.

The Times recovered indebtedness agents moving for British Gas expressed excitement astatine putting meters successful the homes of susceptible radical successful arrears connected bills.

Minister Graham Stuart said British Gas should "hold their heads successful shame".

Mr Stuart, who is the curate for vigor and climate, said the supplier had said however it was supporting customers, but added "it turns retired they were doing thing but".

Chris O'Shea, the brag of Centrica which owns British Gas, told the BBC helium was horrified and added determination was "nothing that tin beryllium said to excuse" the practices. British Gas has suspended forced prepayment metre installations.

He confirmed the forced installations happened done a 3rd enactment institution moving connected behalf of British Gas to prosecute debts.

An undercover probe by The Times unveiled 1 incidental erstwhile agents moving for Arvato Financial Solutions utilized a locksmith to unit their mode successful to the location of a azygous father-of-three to instal a prepayment meter.

The indebtedness cause is reported to person said "this is the breathtaking bit. I emotion this bit", arsenic they got successful to the property. The paper besides highlighted different incidents of a akin nature.

On Thursday, EDF told the BBC it was conducting a reappraisal of its processes successful narration to moving customers to prepayment meters, "to reconfirm they are robust" and excessively spot if they "can marque immoderate improvements".

EDF said it "only seeks to determination a lawsuit to prepayment without their consent arsenic a precise past resort", and lone erstwhile it determined it to beryllium "safe and practical".

It said successful 2022, the supplier applied for 13,766 warrants successful narration to home lawsuit indebtedness and successful astir fractional of the cases, the steadfast took the determination not to proceed "once the lawsuit had engaged" and the steadfast "understood their circumstances".

A spokesperson for British Gas said it had astir 1.5 cardinal customers connected prepayment meters and successful 2022 executed astir 20,000 prepayment installs with a warrant.

Mr Stuart told the BBC helium met with each vigor suppliers past week to speech astir however to amended looking aft susceptible people, "because determination are wide rules and they person evidently not been followed".

He said the find of however immoderate British Gas customers had been treated was "just appalling".

"It's disgraceful and it indispensable stop. I americium angry, everyone should beryllium angry. It's wholly successful the look of each the promises that I've been made by suppliers," helium added.

Mr O'Shea acknowledged helium was "accountable" for the actions of British Gas contractor Arvato Financial Solutions.

Arvato Financial Solutions has not responded to requests for comment.

Centrica has said the suspension - wherever it applied to the tribunal for a warrant to instal a pre-payment metre - would past "until astatine slightest aft winter" and that protecting susceptible radical was its priority.

The shocking revelations from The Times travel arsenic galore households successful Britain are struggling with the outgo of living, and successful peculiar higher vigor bills.

Prepayment meters necessitate customers to wage for their vigor usage successful advance, either done accounts oregon by adding recognition to a card.

Having a prepayment metre is much costly than paying by nonstop debit, but is sometimes the lone enactment for radical who person struggled to wage and are successful indebtedness to a supplier.

Strict rules besides use that forestall vigor firms putting an at-risk lawsuit connected to a prepayment meter, but successful definite circumstances customers successful arrears tin beryllium moved either remotely connected a astute meter, oregon physically aft the steadfast has been fixed a warrant to bash so.

However, suppliers are required to person exhausted each different options earlier installing a prepayment meter, and should not bash truthful for those "in the astir susceptible situations".