ENERGY firm Npower has promised to clear a backlog of customers who have been waiting at least two years for a gas meter reading.
The commitment came at the end of a year-long investigation by industry regulator Ofgem.
Around 55,000 Npower customers have not had gas meters read in two years despite a requirement to do so at least once in that time.
Npower has agreed to carry out the readings by September 30 this year or explain to Ofgem why it has failed.
An Npower statement said: "In the majority of the cases where there have been delays to our gas inspections programme, it has been due to problems gaining access to the address. Lifestyles have changed and people are simply not at home so much, making the process more difficult."
A spokeswoman for gas and electricity consumer watchdog Energywatch said: "If a large number of people have been receiving estimated bills, then thousands of people may find they have been overpaying or underpaying."
