John Hawthorn was left without gas for five days

In one case highlighted by the BBC, the company took away a man's meter, despite the fact he was not a British Gas customer.

Watchdog Energywatch said the company exhibited the "worst example of corporate incompetence" they had ever seen.

But British Gas said they make "exhaustive" efforts before they disconnect anyone, and said they have been improving their service.

Mal Chesters is not a British Gas customer, but that did not stop the company demanding money from him - and cutting him off when he did not pay.

He said he spent months asking British Gas to stop sending bills to someone who had lived in the flat years ago.

If British Gas supplied their engineers with A to Zs instead of warrants, we could have solved these problems months ago David Sidebottom, Energywatch

Mr Chesters, who lives in Wallasey, was left without gas for more than two days, before British Gas corrected the error.

He is diabetic and also suffers from angina.

Mr Chesters said: " It frightens me that they can do this.

"I was left without supply for two full days and nights.

"Imagine if it had been winter."

In another case, British Gas removed the meter from Keith Deakin's home in Newton-le-Willows twice - even though he said he has never been behind with bills.

Both times it happened he was not in his house.

British Gas refused to take the blame, but offered a "goodwill payment" of �140.

"I found it unbelievable they could do the same thing twice," he said.

Where we have made a mistake, we hold our hands up, we apologise and we pay compensation. John Jessop, British Gas

And in another example revealed by the BBC, John Hawthorn, from Blackpool, said the workmen took away the meter when he was away, even though he told them not to.

The company should have removed the meter from a house across the road, and Mr Hawthorn, who is disabled, was left without gas for five days.

"British Gas have a customer complaints department who would not even deal with it," he said.

The gas watchdog Energywatch says it has handled about 150 complaints about wrongful disconnections in the North West over the past 18 months

"They very quickly reach for a warrant and will not lift a telephone to talk to customers," said David Sidebottom of Energywatch.

"It is the most appalling act of corporate incompetence I have seen in 10 years in the industry.

"If British Gas supplied their engineers with A to Zs instead of warrants, we could have solved these problems months ago."

But British Gas insists it is not the worst offender.

John Jessop told BBC North West Tonight that British Gas provides two-thirds of households in the region with gas, but were only to blame for half of Energywatch's complaints.

"This is an industry issue, not a British Gas issue. Other companies are making more of a mess than we are," said the firm's John Jessop.

"Where we have made a mistake, we hold our hands up, we apologise and we pay compensation."