Grant Shapps' crackdown on energy firms over prepayment meters a is a 'welcome first step'
He also warned that magistrates are being “overwhelmed” with applications for utility warrants, which allow debt firms acting on behalf of energy firms to enter homes.
However, his request that the companies volunteer to quit has only prompted concerns from campaign groups and MPs who say the Government has not gone far enough. As Gillian Cooper, the head of energy policy for Citizens Advice, says: “Millions of people are being left in cold, dark, and damp homes because they can’t afford to top up their meter. No one should be forced to live like this.”But with many more cold nights of winter left to come, and people still being switched to prepay energy every day, there is still a long way to go before desperate families get the protection they need.