The cost of living is rising for many. Whether it's energy bills, the weekly shop or the amount you're now spending on petrol, it's getting more and more expensive and naturally people will want to save as much money as they can.
One person who many people rely on for tips and tricks is Money Saving Expert's Martin Lewis.
The MSE founder however has recently taken to social media to shut down a dangerous and illegal money saving 'hack' around energy bills and meters.
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The financial guru addressed the topic after being asked about the theory which states that if people don't have a meter, they won't need to pay any bills, reports Hull Live.
Martin responded to the claim on Twitter writing: "There's a conspiracy theory suggestion I keep being asked about that energy charges are 'for having a meter' not for fuel use. Therefore 'remove the meter & you use energy for free'. It's just nonsense. You pay for the units of fuel you use, and a standing charge."
Not only is physically removing the meter extremely dangerous due to it likely resulting in electrocution and/or a major explosion, it's also illegal.
UKPower says: "Anyone found guilty of energy theft will be convicted under Section 13 of the Theft Act and can be sentenced to a maximum of five years imprisonment and a fine of £2,000. This sentence will be even more severe if property is damaged and people are killed in an accident that has been caused by tampering with a gas or electricity supply.
"An incident ... saw 52-year-old Nadeem Mughal jailed for three years after after tampering with his gas meter. He risked blowing up a block of flats, endangering the lives of everyone living there, by twice tampering with his gas meter, which could have caused an explosion that would have affected up to 20 neighbours."
Stay Energy Safe has recounted the tragic story of one man who bypassed his electricity meter, writing: "A son was living with his elderly, housebound mother, when a bypassed electricity meter caused an electrical fire.
"The flat they shared – within a block of 8 similar properties – had been fitted with a normal pre-payment electricity meter. Under significant financial pressure, the son arranged to have the meter bypassed in order to save money on bill payments. A fire was caused by an electrical spark, and in an extremely harrowing series of events, his mother was unable to exit the property in time. She died due to smoke inhalation before fire officers reached the scene.
"The son admitted what he had done to police and was charged with causing her death. A subsequent investigation showed that families in five of the eight flats had all bypassed their meters in the same way, endangering not just their own lives and property, but those of their neighbours and any innocent visitors."
