LONDON (The Independent) –
Reports of energy theft have soared as Britons face rising bills for electricity and gas, figures showed.
With the cost of living crisis mounting, the number of reports made to the Crimestoppers charity has almost trebled since 2017-18 – with a rise of more than 20 percent in just six months.
The chair of an influential select committee of MPs warned the increase shows the “desperation” of households hit by rocketing electricity and gas prices.
Electricity theft, which pushes up bills for customers, carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, while gas theft is also illegal. Crimestoppers figures show 8,289 reports of energy theft in the UK in the year to the end of July, a rise from 2,876 reports in the 12 months to July 2018.
In the six months to the end of July, there were 4,559 energy theft reports to Crimestoppers in the UK, up from 3,730 in the six months before that – representing a 22 percent increase when comparing the two periods.
Crimestoppers is contracted by the non-profit Retail Energy Code Company (RECCo) to run the energy theft tip-off service, allowing people to anonymously make reports. RECCo’s website explains, “Crimestoppers securely notify the tip-off to the relevant gas or electricity supplier for investigation.”
Additionally, energy fraud reports to trade body UK Revenue Protection Association (UKRPA) increased by 54 percent in just six months – from 717 in the six-month period from July to December 2021, up to 1,104 from January to June this year. While police forces in England and Wales received nearly 3,600 reports of “dishonest use of electricity” in the year to March, up 13 percent year on year.
Peter Smith, director of policy and advocacy at the fuel poverty charity National Energy Action, said, “Whatever the motivations, it’s truly shocking that despite the danger and the criminality of energy theft, it appears to be on the rise.”
The energy price cap rose to £1,971 in April, up from £1,277. Before the government intervened, it was set to increase to £3,549 this month, with a prediction that by April next year it could top £6,000. But under the government’s “energy price guarantee” implemented this month, for the next two years a typical household is expected to pay, on average, around £2,500 a year on its energy bills.