Citizens Advice call for ban on forced switch to prepaid meters as millions ran out of credit last year

Citizens Advice has called for a ban on energy companies being able to force customers onto prepaid meters if they are struggling with energy bills.  This comes as the charity estimates that around 600,000 people were moved onto a pay-as-you-go method of paying bills last year.

The charity also revealed that 3.2 million people in the UK ran out of credit on prepaid meters last year. This equates to a staggering statistics of one every 10 seconds.

Prepaid meters work by topping up a card with money for credit. This can be done at locations such as shops and post offices. This is far more expensive than paying via direct debit, but is often the only option for customers struggling to pay back the energy company.