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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Alex Lawson Energy correspondent

Suppliers told to remove prepayment meters that were wrongly force-fitted

A woman checks a prepayment key meter in the hallway of a flat.
Citizens Advice says it has seen ‘far too many cases’ of people being forced on to a prepayment meter despite clear evidence it isn’t safe for them. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Ofgem has told energy suppliers to uninstall prepayment meters that have been wrongly force-fitted and pay compensation now, rather than wait for the outcome of a review.

The watchdog is examining the prepayment meter market after it emerged that suppliers were routinely fitting thousands of meters to recover debts by using court warrants to gain entry into people’s homes, including those of vulnerable people.

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