Gas Boss: 'Email Me With Price Hike Concerns'

British Gas customers hit by huge price rises have been told to email the company's managing director with their concerns.

Chris Jansen's offer comes after the company hiked the price of gas by 18%, and electricity by 16%.

The increases, which will come into effect from August 18, will see the average dual fuel energy bill rise by £190 a year.

He told Sky News: "Personally, I'll help any customer. Email me at chris.jansen@britishgas.co.uk"

The firm supplies around 10m customers with gas and electricity across the UK.

British Gas said it had raised its prices in response to a 30% hike in wholesale prices since last winter.

"Rising wholesale costs is an issue facing all energy suppliers," said British Gas managing director Phil Bentley.

"Our advice to customers is to wait and see what happens in the energy retail market as a whole before making any decisions about switching supplier."

The hike will see average bills rise by £16 a month. Energy suppliers are now heavily promoting fixed deals to concerned households.

British Gas is the second of the "big six" companies to put up prices after Scottish Power announced a 19% hike in gas prices and 10% hike in electricity last month.

Mike O'Connor, chief executive of Consumer Focus, said wholesale prices have gone up but are still a third lower than their peak in 2008.

He has calculated that in this time British Gas prices have risen by around 44% on gas and 21% on electricity and "suppliers have made healthy profits".

He added: "This price rise will send a shockwave across the country.

"The impact on customers will be severe, piling more pressure on severely stretched household budgets and pushing hundreds of thousands more households into fuel poverty.

"Consumers simply don't trust that energy companies have customers' interests at heart and rightly question whether prices are fair."

Other companies are expected to follow.