Battles against Opus rage on

Furious licensees are continuing to face problems with electricity supplier Opus Energy.

The Publican is still receiving calls from licensees concerning battles with the company over their treatment.

Earlier this year, The Publican intervened in a case involving licensee Paul Blyth, who was being charged 'out of contract rates' for five months, which totalled almost £7,000.

But it appears pubs continue to be involved in disputes.

Christopher Fearnley, licensee of the Duke of Lancaster in Lancaster, was last week facing having his electricity supply disconnected, following a 14-month battle with the company.

He claims he was told he could save 25 per cent on his electricity bill with a three-year contract if he switched to Opus.

He agreed to pay by direct debit and was charged £418.52 for his first month's bill, nothing for the second and £2,407.75 for the third month.

Mr Fearnley said he has since closed down his bed and breakfast and kitchen. He asked: "How could I be using more electricity when I had half the pub closed down?"

In another case, Nigel Jowsey, new licensee at the Little Owl in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, is upset after transferring from Opus to Npower.

He then received a bill from Opus for out-of-contract rates, which he claims is far in excess of the electricity he had used.

"We volunteered to pay a reasonable rate for switchover time, but we weren't using the kitchen and the function room in that time," he said. "I have pleaded with them to take me to court so we can sort it out."

A spokesman from Opus Energy said it had offered to resolve matters individually with its customers.

However, Paul Savage, business services manager at Energywatch, said there had been a "significant reduction" in complaints about Opus.

The watchdog is continuing to monitor the situation.