British Gas bosses will be hauled into meet the energy minister, following reports debt collectors have broken into vulnerable customers’ homes to fit energy meters.
Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said on Thursday the reports were “deeply shocking and concerning”.
“Vulnerable families should not be treated so poorly,” the spokesperson added.
British Gas announced it will stop applying for court warrants to enter homes following the report by The Times.
Energy companies can obtain court warrants which give them legal rights to enter people’s homes and fit prepayment meters if customers have not paid their bills.
Customers must then top up to continue receiving gas supplies, and if they fail to do so they risk their heating being cut off.
The Times reported that British Gas sends debt collectors to “break into” people’s homes and “force-fit” pay-as-you-go meters – even when customers are known to have “extreme vulnerabilities”.
An undercover reporter for the newspaper worked for debt collecting contractor Arvato Financial Solutions and accompanied agents who used court warrants to gain entry into customers’ homes to force-fit these meters.
Some of the “vulnerable” customers the reporter came across included a single father with three young children and a mother with a four-week-old baby.
Centrica – which owns British Gas – chief executive officer Chris O’Shea said: “Protecting vulnerable customers is an absolute priority and we have clear processes and policies to ensure we manage customer debt carefully and safely.
“The allegations around our third-party contractor Arvato are unacceptable and we immediately suspended their warrant activity.”
Energy regulator Ofgem has also announced it will launch an investigation.
