British Gas prices to soar

Wednesday July 30,2008
By Penny Stretton for Express.co.uk  Have your say(3)

THE UK's biggest domestic energy supplier hit customers with a massive price hike today.

British Gas announced they are to heap more misery on their 15.9 million customers by pushing gas bills up a huge 35 per cent.

The staggering price rise comes after rival energy company - EDF- also hit customers in the pocket last week by adding up to 22 per cent to household energy bills.

And the squeeze on family finances doesn't end there - with British Gas also piling on a extra 9 per cent to electricity bills.

The steep rise in energy prices will see households paying out hundreds of pounds extra for their annual gas and electricity with dual fuel prices jumping up 25 per cent.

Customers who receive both gas and electricity from the company will be billed an extra £262.80 per year.

British Gas blamed soaring wholesale energy prices for the move and managing director Phil Bentley said:

We very much regret that we have had to make this decision at a time when many household budgets are already under pressure.

The simple fact though is that we have entered an era of unprecedented high world energy prices.

But  he added that standard rate customers will not be hit with any further prices rises this year and 2.1 million of its fixed-rate customers will not pay any extra at all.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/54701

Schadenfreude ...........