British utility apologizes for home break-ins

LONDON — The U.K. government said Thursday that it was responding to “deeply shocking” revelations that debt collectors working for British Gas broke into customers’ homes to install prepay gas meters that left vulnerable people at risk of having their heating cut off.

British Gas’ parent company, Centrica PLC, said it had halted the “unacceptable” practice. The country’s energy regulator, Ofgem, launched an investigation into what it called “extremely serious allegations.”

The Times of London reported that debt collectors obtained court warrants to enter the homes of people who had fallen behind on their energy bills. They installed meters that make customers pay up front for their gas supply — if they don’t, they are cut off. The practice allows firms to get around rules that limit the circumstances in which they can cut off supplies to customers who are in debt.

The newspaper said an undercover reporter working for debt collection agency Arvato Financial Solutions accompanied agents to enter homes and “force fit” the meters. The newspaper said the customers included a single father with three young children whose door was forced open by a locksmith and a mother with a 4-weekold baby.

The Times said that in the first 11 months of 2022, energy firms applied for 345,000 warrants to force entry into U.K. homes.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman, Max Blain, called the report “deeply shocking and concerning.”

“Vulnerable families should not be treated so poorly,” he said. Energy Minister Graham Stuart summoned British Gas representatives for a meeting on Thursday, the government said.

Centrica CEO Chris O’Shea said that “protecting vulnerable customers is an absolute priority, and we have clear processes and policies to ensure we manage customer debt carefully and safely.”

Arvato Financial Solutions said it “acts compliantly at all times in accordance with the regulatory requirements in the areas in which we are operationally active.”