SCOTTISH Power forcibly installed a staggering 24,300 pre-payment meters last year — proportionately more than any other supplier, new figures reveal.

Data released by the Department of Energy and Net Zero today show that more than 94,000 pre-payment meters were installed under warrant in 2022.

British Gas, Scottish Power and OVO Energy fitted a total of 66,187 devices under warrant.

The rush to pre-payment comes as companies attempt to recover debt caused by their price hikes over the last year.

Pre-payment meters are widely criticised by campaigners for being forced upon the most vulnerable and indebted customers, often through court action, and charging them a higher rate in the process.

Power To The People campaign spokesman Coll McCail said: “Forced installation of pre-payment meters represents the very worst of corporate greed.

“It sees energy companies making record profits pursue the most vulnerable for every penny they have.

“Today’s news not only reveals the scale of the crisis, but the extent to which parts of the state have engaged in covering it up.

“No-one, for example, can tell our campaign what the total number of forcibly installed prepayment meters was in Scotland in 2022.”

The campaign is in dispute with Courts Scotland over their apparent lack of accurate records of the number of the total warrants issued in Scottish courts.

A Fuel Poverty Action spokesperson said: “People who cannot afford artificially inflated energy prices should be helped, not punished.”

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Today’s figures give a clear and horrifying picture of just how widespread the forced installation of pre-payment meters had become, with last year seeing an average of over 7,500 force-fitted a month.”

But he also said that they are “right for some people” and refused to ban them outright.