‘An insult’: huge profits at Shell and Centrica cause outrage amid soaring energy bills

News of billion-pound profits comes after UK households warned average annual bill could hit 3,850 by 2023

Soaring profits at the energy companies Shell and Centrica have been described as an insult" to millions of people struggling with the cost of living crisis, with high oil and gas prices funding multibillion-pound rewards for their shareholders.

A day after millions of households were warned that average annual energy bills could hit 3,850 from January, triple the level at the beginning of this year, two of the UK's biggest energy companies sparked outrage with their bumper profits.