British Gas owner hands investors £300m as customers face soaring bills

Campaigners criticise Centrica, saying it has made more than £7bn in profits since start of energy bills crisis

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The owner of British Gas has angered fuel poverty campaigners by offering its shareholders an extra £300m this year as millions of customers brace for rising energy bills through the winter.

Centrica expects to buy back shares worth £300m before September, meaning it will have repurchased £1.5bn in shares since November last year – equivalent to a fifth of the company’s total market value.