the energy regulator ofgem has asked suppliers to pause the forced installation of prepaid metres. it follows revelations that a debt collection company working for british gas broke into the homes of vulnerable people to install the metres. prepayment metres require customers to pay for their energy in advance. it s more expensive than paying by direct debit, but are sometimes the only option for people who have struggled to pay and are in debt to a supplier. ben king has more. an undercover reporter from the times newspaper joined a team of debt collectors, entering the home of a single father with three young children. they count as vulnerable. but, these workers from arvato financial solutions, working for british gas, opened the door and installed a prepayment meter anyway. installing prepayment meters by force is legal, but it s meant to be a last resort, and should not be done to vulnerable households. if people cannot afford to top up the meters, they will be left wit
for a summit on ukraine president zelensky says he believes his country deserves talks on joining the eu this year. deserted railway stations as train drivers in england stage their second walkout this week. australian tennis star nick kyrgios admits assaulting his ex girlfriend but avoids a criminal conviction we ll have the latest from canberra. # falling in our hearts # here again, hawai i # aloha, aloha # and could this song by the former sex pistols by the former sex pistolsrontmanjohn lydon written about his wife s alzheimer s be chosen to represent ireland at the eurovision song contest? it s very hard to be away from her. but i have to do this. i have to bring awareness to this problem. hello, and welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world. the us department of defence says it s tracking what s believed to be a chinese surveillance balloon that entered american airspace two days ago. the military considered shooting it down over the state of montan
an emotional appeal to the public from the family of nicola bulley to help find her. and a warning that mammals such as foxes and otters are contracting avian flu after eating dead birds. and coming up on the bbc news channel: the countdown is on to the six nations, as england s new coach steve borthwick goes for a more youthful side. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the bank of england has rasied interest rates to 4%, their highest level for m years, as it continues its attempts to curb soaring inflation. the latest rise, the tenth in a row, will mean higher mortgage payments for homeowners with a typical tracker mortgage. but people with savings should benefit. the bank also said that the uk is set to enter recession this year though it could be shorter than was previously forecast. and it also predicted a significant fall in inflation by the end of this year. our economics editor, faisal islam, has all the details. sophie, rates have been raised consistentl
we still, of course, work out the detail of the inquiry, but we are still. it is still sinking in, to be honest. charges of attempted rape and assault are dropped against manchester united footballer mason greenwood, after a key witnesses withdraws involvement. the oil giant shell reports record annual profits of £32 billion the highest in its 115 year history. and a watchdog urges landlords to act now after tens of thousands of homes were found to have serious damp and mould issues. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the bank of england has raised interest rates from 3.5 to 4% their highest level since 2008. the increase will leave millions of households facing higher mortgages at a time when many are already struggling with energy and food bills. the bank also says the uk will enter recession, but it won t be as severe as they predicted last year. the governor of the bank of england, andrew bailey, has been speaking with our economics editor, faisal islam. we th
british gas admits there s no excuse for using debt agencies who broke into homes to fit prepayment meters. and, we speak to microsoft s bill gates about covid, vaccines and conspiracy theories. i guess people are looking for the bogeyman behind the curtain, the over simplistic explanation. and coming up on the bbc news channel. manchester united say they will conduct their own process before determining the future of their player, mason greenwood, after assault charges were dropped against him today. good evening. the bank of england has raised interest rates to the highest level for more than 1a years, with inevitable consequences for people with mortgages, credit card debt and other borrowing. the rise by 0.5 percentage point to 4% is yet another attempt to control inflation. the bank confirmed that the economy is set to enter recession this year, but it said the recession could be less pronounced than previously thought, as there are early signs that the economy is st