Record numbers of people are having their homes broken into by energy firms because of unpaid gas and electricity bills.
The move has sparked fears thousands of cash-strapped customers may suffer the same fate over winter if they can’t afford the new increased charges. In the first 10 months of this year, 4501 warrants were granted to power firms to forcibly enter homes compared with 3064 for last year and 1345 in 2020.
The figures were obtained by the Sunday Mail from the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service under Freedom of Information rules. Energy companies are able to get a warrant from a Justice of the Peace to enter someone’s home and install a pre-payment meter if they are owed money for gas or electricity.
