UK households urged to cash in all energy vouchers

Households with prepayment meters are being urged to make sure they have cashed in all their energy vouchers before the end of June.

The government said that while more than four in five vouchers have been used, it's still available.

The electricity provider is warning customers to contact their electricity supplier over the next few weeks if they have any issues with their vouchers.

The government's Energy Bills Support Scheme was announced last year and provided 400 to each household in Britain to help with the cost of soaring gas and electricity bills.

The government, charitable groups, consumer groups and energy suppliers are forming a combined call for those eligible to claim the assistance they are entitled to, before the vouchers expire on 30 June.

Amanda Solloway, the minister for energy consumers and affordability, said the government was redoubling our efforts to reach anyone who still hasn't claimed this help.

The system has not been as straightforward for the two million households that have a traditional prepayment meter for their gas or electricity. The charities have been urging people to cash in their vouchers, as many households with traditional pre-payment meters are considered among the most vulnerable.

Matthew Cole, head of the Fuel Bank Foundation, said the charity was really concerned that hundreds of thousands of people could miss out on this vital financial support.

If you are on a conventional prepayment meter and haven't received your vouchers, are unsure of how to redeem them, or need a voucher to be reissued, contact your supplier for more information, she said.