An elderly widower is forced to take his own funeral funds to pay his huge UK Gas bill – as the business owner has revealed a record profit of more than £100 per second.
Barry Secerson, 82, said he had no choice but to use emergency savings after his winter gas bill more than quadrupled.
However, as pensioners use cash to move their own money, energy giant Centrica revealed yesterday that annual profits have more than tripled to £3.3 billion.
The huge sums – the equivalent of almost £6,300 per minute or £104 per second – are driven by the skyrocketing wholesale energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the growing electricity bills for utilities. normal household.
Centrica boss Chris O’Shea has sparked further anger by refusing to rule out receiving an annual bonus of up to £1.6m.
The big cat could earn its own £1.4million bonus on top of her nearly £800,000 salary.
When he invented it, however, customers like Mr. Secerson struggled to pay his company’s exorbitant energy bills.
The retired construction worker, from Stoke-on-Trent, a loyal British Gas customer for more than 50 years, has a heart condition and angina that causes him to warm up when cold. He recently called British Gas to ask how much his gas bill has been since early December.
“I gave the agent my meter reading, and she said it was £1,171,” explained Mr Seckerson, who lives alone with his pet cat after wife Brenda died 10 years ago.
“I have arthritis and angina so have to keep the heating on over Christmas.”
“Because it was winter I was expecting it to be £400 maybe £500, but never that much.”
The £1,171 bill is £900 more than the £266 three months ago and triple what he paid a year ago.
“I can pay this bill but I will have to use some of the money I have in savings.
“It is money I put aside to cover the cost of my funeral.”
Mr Secerson said he now dreads April, when energy bills will rise even higher after the Tories cut global support.
He called Centrica’s earnings “disgusting” and a “scandal”.
And Mr Seckerson criticised Mr O’Shea’s possible bonus, saying: “I don’ know he would have the cheek to take it.
“My bill is part of what is paying for it.”
Fife-born Mr O’Shea, who gave up his £1.1m prize money a year ago, yesterday claimed it was “too early to talk” about the final.
It will be revealed in Centrica’s annual report, next month.
Defending his bounty, Mr. O’Shea, 49, said:
“Centrica earnings has a goal and that goal is net zero, that goal is to help customers have lower bills in the future.”
Most of her earnings come from Centrica’s gas production, the company’s stake in its nuclear power plants, and its energy business armaments.
Annual profit at British Gas Energy, the arm that supplies 7.5 million homes, fell 39 per cent to £72 million.
