Energy providers send call centre staff home

British Gas and EDF customers were left high and dry as the energy providers sent call centre staff home in response to the weather warnings.

Desperate customers, including the vulnerable and elderly, were left without heating as depleted operators built up a backlog of emergency calls.

British Gas said it prioritised the vulnerable and engineers were working “around the clock”. EDF said it took the “unavoidable” decision for the safety of staff and urged customers to call only in an emergency.