British Gas firm Centrica sought to deflect flak over another jump in annual profits today by flagging up its importance to the UK economy.

British Gas was fined £1m today after it miscalculated how much of the electricity it supplied to business customers had come from renewable sources.

Energy giant Centrica stoked anger over energy bills today by revealing that its British Gas residential arm made record profits of £742m last year.

THE British Post Office, with partner Bank of Ireland, took a further step along the road to becoming a neighbourhood bank this week with the announcement of a “major expansion” in the financial products it offers.

Energy prices in Britain have risen twice as fast as the European Union average, according to new figures.