UK energy customers receiving bills of up to £49,000 after Ovo takeover of SSE

Ovo bought SSE’s retail division and admits that some customers have been ‘erroneously’ affected by the move. Photograph: Rafael Henrique/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock

Customers of the energy supplier Ovo were left shocked and dismayed when they received bills of up to £49,000 because of data errors that led to vastly overinflated energy projections for some households.

Julie Lines [not her real name] was told she owed £44,800 for two months’ supply to her one-bedroom flat. “I’d been asked to send photos of my meters in August as Ovo believed there was an issue,” she said. “I did so and my account went from £600 in credit to £19,000 in debt. Despite Ovo assuring me this was a mistake, the debt rose to over £44,000 in September.”