British Gas hike up prices by 22 per cent.

Customers of energy giant British Gas are facing a massive hike in prices from March 1.

The gas and electricity provider is to increase its bills by a whopping 22 per cent, the announcement coming just days before its parent company Centrica is set to announce record profits.

Around pounds 180 will be added to the bills of 13 million customers, taking the average annual bill beyond pounds 1,000.

The head of energywatch, Allan Asher criticised the massive price increases, which follow a rise last September of 14.2 per cent, saying: 'This is the most serious single event in two years of trauma for energy consumers.'

Mervyn Kohler of Help the Aged said: 'An extra 200,000 older people are pushed into fuel poverty when a 10 per cent increase occurs, so this particular price rise will have a wide effect on vulnerable pensioners.'

A Centrica spokesman said: 'Much of the profits we make are channelled into ensuring the UK has a diverse supply of gas for the future.'