‘This is bullying’: How much of your money are gas suppliers holding?

Energy companies have raised direct debits while holding billions of pounds’ worth of customer cash. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Mark Wilson was furious on receiving a message asking him to bring his energy account “back on track”. Ovo, which had taken on his supply after acquiring SSE’s retail arm, was proposing to increase his monthly direct debit from £102 to £168. Wilson* had built up £500 in credit, and had even reduced his direct debits previously as his regular payments were overshooting consumption.

“This is the most outrageous and terrifyingly abusive email,” he wrote to Ovo. “How can I need to get back on track when I am not off track, never have been, and am not likely to leave the rails? This is bullying.”