By the End Fuel Poverty Coalition

Campaigners have written to the Government and Ofgem demanding an immediate new pause on forced prepayment meter installations, after fresh revelations that magistrates’ courts are continuing to approve bulk warrants through secret hearings.

In a letter sent to the Minister for Energy Consumers, the Minister for Courts and Ofgem’s Chief Executive, the End Fuel Poverty Coalition warns that households are still being subjected to forced entry and involuntary meter installations despite the scandal that first emerged three years ago.

As the Coalition has previously pointed out, Installation of pre-payment meters (PPMs) represents disconnection by the backdoor, and transfer of a smart meter to a PPM setting is likely to present an underhand way of disconnecting people in fuel poverty.

The intervention follows recent reporting by journalist Tristan Kirk revealing that magistrates are routinely sitting in private and approving large batches of energy company warrant applications without examining individual cases. In some instances, courts reportedly approved hundreds of warrants after reviewing only a small “sample”, even when errors had already been identified.

The letter notes that these concerns have now prompted the Chief Magistrate to launch a formal review of the warrant system. However, the End Fuel Poverty Coalition has suggested that allowing forced installations to continue while the court process itself is under investigation leaves households at ongoing risk.

“These secret court hearings effectively punish households simply because they are struggling to pay their energy bills,” the letter states. “Many of those affected are already living in cold, damp homes and facing record levels of energy debt. Continuing forced action under a system now acknowledged to be under review is indefensible.”

The Coalition is calling for an immediate and comprehensive pause on all forced prepayment meter installations and warrant-based forced entry until:

– The Chief Magistrate’s investigation is completed and published in full

– Transparency is restored to the court process

– Ofgem concludes its long-running investigation into British Gas and affected customers are fully compensated

– Clear, enforceable protections are in place to prevent further harm.

Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “It is extraordinary that more than three years after this scandal first broke, families are still being dragged through secret court processes that even now appear to lack basic safeguards.

“We now have confirmation that the Chief Magistrate is reviewing how these warrants are being issued. The only responsible response is to pause forced prepayment meters immediately, until that investigation is complete and the system is shown to be lawful, transparent and safe.

“No household should face forced entry into their home because they are in energy debt, especially when the process authorising that entry is itself under serious question.”

The Coalition also raised renewed concerns about the continuing delay in Ofgem publishing the outcome of its enforcement investigation into British Gas, which was launched following the original forced PPM scandal and has now been running for almost three years.

A bleak winter, as companies profit

Millions of households are already under renewed pressure this winter as cold weather grips the country and temperatures fall. Campaigners warn that even a marginal recent change to the energy price cap has risked pushing struggling families further into hardship. Average energy bills are still set to remain almost £700 higher than before the energy crisis, leaving many households unable to heat their homes safely.

Even when the changes to bills announced in the recent Budget come into effect in spring 2026, average energy bills will still be higher than they were in winter 2020/2021 and above the level of the price cap at the last General Election.

Meanwhile, evidence shows unsafe housing conditions are becoming entrenched. Almost a third (29%) of adults say they are unable to keep their home at the recommended minimum temperature of 18°C.

For 14% of UK adults, the situation is so severe that they consider themselves to live in cold, damp homes, with much higher rates among low-income households, families with children and people with long-term health conditions. Among those living in cold, damp homes, almost one in five (18%) say they have experienced high levels of carbon monoxide in their home in the past 12 months.

Yet even as households face growing risks, regulatory decisions continue to protect industry returns. In the detailed price cap documents, Ofgem confirmed that the Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) allowance built into the cap will rise by £1.51 per household from January to March 2026. This represents a 4% increase, potentially handing suppliers millions of pounds of extra profit while the average household energy bill will rise by 0.2 percent.

More broadly, analysis shows that just 27 energy companies from across the industry have made more than £125bn in UK profits since 2020, forming part of more than half a trillion pounds in global profits across the sector during the energy crisis. More than four-fifths of those profits come from companies with extensive involvement in the gas industry.

But reliance on gas is not only driving bills and profits – it is also a shrinking and risky foundation for the UK’s energy system. Official data shows the UK will no longer be able to meet national heating demand using domestically extracted gas from 2027, underlining the growing disconnect between record profits and a North Sea basin in long-term decline. Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: “It really is a case of every little doesn’t help as cold weather grips the country and the price cap nudges upward.

“Households are facing their fifth winter of unaffordable energy bills. For millions of people, this cold isn’t an inconvenience, it’s a real risk to health and safety as they struggle to keep homes warm.

“More households are being pushed into cold, damp homes where cutting back on heating, delaying repairs and blocking ventilation increases the danger of carbon monoxide exposure.

“At the same time, the energy industry has made more than £125bn in UK profits since 2020, including firms operating in a declining North Sea. Ministers must act now by funding the Warm Homes Plan, fixing energy pricing and introducing a fair social tariff so people can stay safe every winter.”