Martin Lewis urges consumers to check they aren’t paying DOUBLE energy bills after 20 firms go bust

MARTIN Lewis has urged customers to check they aren't paying double for energy bills after being moved to a new supplier.

More than 20 firms have gone bust in recent months but some households are still being charged by their collapsed company as well as being billed by their new provider.

In the latest MoneySavingExpert , Martin told readers

Energy regulator Ofgem told consumers not to cancel their direct debits when their firm collapsed as they would be automatically switched to a new supplier.

But some households have faced glitches in the switching process, meaning they're paying double for their gas and electricity costs.

The Sun previously reported that customers of failed firms were having payments taken by both their old and new suppliers.

Former customers of People's Energy, which collapsed in September and was taken over by British Gas, were still seeing money paid to the old provider more than two months later.

In another example, EonNext took over Igloo's 179,000 customers when it collapsed in October.

But users reported payments being taken by the old provider at the end of November.

We explain what to do if you've been charged twice for your gas and electricity bills.

How can I check if I'm affected?

The easiest way to check whether you're being charged twice is to have a look at your bank statements.

Get out your records for the last few months and look to see whether you've been charged by your old supplier as well as the new one.

What should I do if I'm being charged twice?

MoneySavingExpert says you should cancel the direct debit to the old firm straight away.

If you've built up credit with your old supplier it will be moved across to your new account.

You should let your new supplier know that you've paid double so they can arrange a refund or add credit to your account.

But this option could be slow, taking weeks or months, so isn't that useful for customers who need their money back straight away.

If you're struggling and you urgently need a refund, MoneySavingExpert recommended giving the Direct Debit guarantee scheme a go.

You can contact your bank and ask them to reverse the overpayment under the scheme, which is designed to refund direct debit errors quickly.