British Gas to hire 500 staff to help people who face soaring bills

Company to beef up energy support fund as owner Centrica says profits will hit top end of City forecasts

British Gas is to beef up its customer services team to deal with the sharp rise in the number of distressed customers who are struggling to cope with soaring bills, as its owner, Centrica, predicted annual profits will hit the top end of expectations.

The company is to recruit another 500 people to field calls from the growing number of people who are facing higher energy bills at a time when the wider cost of living is outpacing wage growth, piling pressure on household budgets.