A SINGLE dad claims British Gas installed a ‘pay as you go meter’ without consent after he got behind on his payments.

Danny Mears, 43, of Southend, alleges the energy provider installed the meter in his one-bed flat last year.

The dad-of-two admits he owed nearly £800 after falling behind on his monthly bill.

But he claims he then came home from work in September last year to find that a ‘pay as you go meter’ has been installed - without his say-so.

He says the meter has been a constant source of anxiety since.

“Having a meter has made me paranoid about how much energy I’m using - the figures are always there and I find it hard not to constantly check the reading.”

Danny said: “The past year or so has been extremely tough for everyone - everyone except those involved with British Gas.”

Danny claims he returned from work and found his locks felt different.

The project manager says his keys weren’t turning properly and he felt resistance as he tried to unlock his flat door.

After struggling for a few minutes, he managed to let himself in and noticed a letter from British Gas left on a chair.

The letter, seen by the South West News Service, explained a meter had been fitted that day and £793.25 had been added.

It added that Danny must keep the meter topped up at least £6.50 to ‘cover his repayments’.

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At this rate, his debt will be paid off by February 18, 2025, the letter said.

He says the meter has been a constant source of anxiety since.

Struggling with the cost of living crisis, Danny admits he’s found it difficult to organise his funds.

He’s now paying back the debt, but is unhappy after reading the latest figures released by Centrica, the parent company of British Gas.

Centrica reported a record £3.3billion profit for the 2022 financial year.

Danny said: “At the moment, I’m managing to get by, but other people out there are not.

“They show a complete lack of support for their customer base, but they’re alright because their profits are through the roof.”

The news comes after the practice was pushed into the headlines earlier this month with a Times investigation which revealed some of the methods used by a British Gas subcontractor.

British Gas said: “We’re sorry to hear about this, we’ll be in touch with the customer to look at how we resolve this and we’ll take all of the appropriate action.

“We’ll also discuss the further help and support that’s available.

“We’ve made clear we feel extremely let down by Arvato carrying out warrants on our behalf, we’ve suspended warrant activity while we carry out an in-depth investigation.”