Prepayment meters - "unfairly penalising the poorest"

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In a few weeks' time the current pause on the forced installation of pre-payment meters comes to an end. The government and the regulator are deciding what happens next, but Age UK is calling for all households with a prepayment meter to be given the opportunity to have them removed for free. More than four million people pay for their energy in this way, and the charity says that as well as them being charged more for gas and electricity than those on direct debit, they also risk having their energy cut off due to a lack of cash. Christopher Brooks, head of policy at Age UK, said: "We think everyone should be given the option to switch because prepayment meters have a higher cost attached to them. It is often unfairly penalising some of the poorest people in our society and forcing them to pay higher costs for their energy." For 5 Minutes On, The BBC's Cost of Living Correspondent, Colletta Smith, has been to meet some people affected. (Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty)