AN ENERGY company serving thousands of people is "not supporting" the most vulnerable, watchdogs claim.

Chandler's Ford-based Utilita has "severe weaknesses" and is not supporting its most vulnerable customers, Ofgem says.

But the company claims that the Ofgem report "does not represent where we are as a business today".

The watchdog has published its findings following a "deep dive" into how energy suppliers are helping customers this winter and beyond.

It has told all 17 firms in its review to improve, with Utilita, Good Energy, Outfox, So Energy and Tru Energy found to have "severe weaknesses".

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The inspection found that suppliers did not demonstrate they have a "consistent and structured" approach to identifying and supporting customers in vulnerable situations.

They also found a risk that policies designed to support customers were "not being implemented".

Findings showed that, although some good practice was identified, all suppliers need to make further improvements.

E (Gas & Electricity), Ecotricity, Green Energy UK, Octopus and Shell were found to have "moderate weaknesses" and British Gas, Bulb, EDF, E.ON, Ovo, Scottish Power and Utility Warehouse were found to have "minor weaknesses".

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Neil Lawrence, director of retail at Ofgem, said: "From eligible customers who are missing out on free gas safety checks through to companies not identifying vulnerable customers to be offered obvious support on the priority services register, this robust review has highlighted that suppliers need to do more to support consumers.

“We welcome the cooperation from suppliers and action taken so far, and, although we are seeing some very good practice in parts of the industry, we can see there is still much more to be done."

A spokesperson from Utilita said: "We are confident that our customers are happy with the support we provide.

"Ofgem’s report does not represent where we are as a business today, nor does it acknowledge the significant progress we have made – and are making - since its initial assessment in early summer.

"As such, we look forward to seeing Ofgem’s updated report in the near future.

"Vulnerable customers continue to be at the heart of our service offering, and we will continue to make our planned improvements throughout the winter."

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