The forced installation of pre-payment meters has been branded 'disgraceful' and 'outrageous' by the business secretary. Grant Shapps told Sky's Sophy Ridge that he has called on energy companies to stop this behaviour.
Grant Shapps criticises Ofgem for"taking at face value" what energy company bosses were telling them and tells energy suppliers to"refocus" efforts onto their customers, after vulnerable individuals were forced to have prepayment meters installed in their homes.Why you can trust Sky News
Mr Shapps accused the energy regulator of having"the wool pulled over their eyes" and told it to toughen up on suppliers after"vulnerable" customers struggling with their energy bills had pay-as-you go gas and electricity meters wrongfully installed in their homes. "I'm also concerned the regulator is too easily having the wool pulled over their eyes by taking at face value what energy companies are telling them," he said.
He said he had hauled in British Gas bosses and had previously made clear to Ofgem they could not allow this to happen, but all the regulator did was go to the energy companies and tell them to follow the rules, which the companies were saying they were, without a proper investigation.
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