Thousands of Shropshire and Mid Wales households were handed a boost today when electricity and gas provider Scottish Power announced it was reducing charges.

The company said it was cutting its domestic gas charges by 16.5 per cent and its electricity bills by 5.5 per cent.

Another power company, EDF Energy, said it had trimmed its gas bills by more than 10 per cent, and kept electricity prices steady.

It means all the big six UK gas and electricity suppliers have cut bills since wholesale energy prices started to fall last year.

In April, energy watchdog Ofgem accused the firms of failing to pass on this year’s decline in wholesale energy prices. In total, Scottish Power and EDF Energy have 10 million gas and electricity customers.

Yesterday Tory MP Mark Pritchard told the Commons of Shropshire pensioners who were being hit hard by higher power and fuel bills.

The Wrekin MP urged ministers to ensure lower wholesale prices were passed on swiftly to the public.

“Energy inflation is hitting pensioners hard, especially those in Shropshire,” he said.

Mr Pritchard asked what discussions Treasury ministers had had with the Department of Trade and Industry and the utility companies about “the speedy passing on of any reduction in wholesale prices so retail customers, particularly pensioners, need not suffer”.

Treasury minister John Healey told the Shropshire MP that the Government monitored the matter closely.