BRITISH Gas owner Centrica, the UK's largest energy provider, today announced gas and electricity bills will go up by 15%.

BRITISH Gas owner Centrica, the UK's largest energy provider, today announced gas and electricity bills will go up by 15 per cent.

BG is the third big power supplier to up its prices this year, after EDF, which increased rates by at least 8pc earlier this week, and Npower, which increased prices by up to 17pc at the beginning of January. BG's rise comes into force with immediate effect for around 13 million customers, although another 2.4 million bill-payers on fixed-term tariffs will see no increase at all.

The firm said it was also delaying the rise for 340,000 vulnerable customers until the end of the winter.

BG said wholesale energy costs had risen sharply, with gas up by 51pc and electricity by 61pc.