Ofgem lets British Gas resume force-fitting prepayment meters this winter, just MONTHS after paying a record £112m settlement

Debt collectors working for British Gas were exposed in 2023 for having force-fitted prepayment meters in the households of people with severe mental illnesses, physical disabilities and a mother caring for a newborn — leading to a record £112m settlement. Ofgem has now given British Gas, the final major supplier to be granted such authorisation, the green light to resume forced installations this winter, even as fresh warnings emerge of a punishing surge in energy bills.

Cornwall Insight forecasts that a typical annual bill will jump by £276 from January — with Bloomberg Economics cautioning the increase could reach £427.

Forced fitting remains prohibited in households with young children or anyone over 75, and suppliers must reach out a minimum of ten times and complete a welfare visit before proceeding.

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition warns that magistrates continue to rubber-stamp bulk batches of forced-meter warrants and is calling on MPs to outlaw the practice entirely in the Energy Independence Bill.