Supplier are entering the homes of consumers who are struggling to pay their bills – without their permission – to fit pre-payment meters. This means the consumers must pay for their energy as they use it.

Newspapers recently revealed the practice, after which the regulator imposed a temporary ban while it collects more information. CAS is today calling for the ban to be made permanent and for those people affected to be re-compensed.

Writing in The Herald on Saturday, CAS spokesman David Hilferty explains why this is wrong. He said: “Many people just don’t have that income upfront and available. That means no heating; it means no lighting; it means the fridge goes off; your food goes off.

“But it’s not just that. It’s the humiliation, the loss of control. Anyone who has ever been burgled knows that items stolen or damaged is just one part of the distress you feel. The other is the sense of violation. The thought of people – strangers - walking around in your home without your invitation. It’s deeply unsettling, an invasion of your place of privacy and comfort.

“Energy companies might feel they had the right to do this under the previous rules, but to the person or family affected, it’s still a form of breaking and entering.”

“This practice must stop for good. We see so many complex problems across our network – but this one has a really simple and straightforward solution: we need a permanent and outright ban on mandatory PPMs.”