Britain’s gas storage levels ‘concerningly low’ after extreme cold, says British Gas owner

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UK’s gas stores have fallen “concerningly low” after freezing temperatures across Britain significantly boosted demand, the owner of British Gas has warned. Centrica said the UK “has less than a week of gas demand in store” and that Britain’s storage sites are 26 per cent lower than they were at the same time last year, leaving them around half full. He added: “We are an outlier from the rest of Europe when it comes to the role of storage in our energy system and we are now seeing the implications of that.” The firm’s Rough gas storage site, a depleted field off England’s east coast, makes up around half of the country’s gas storage capacity. open image in gallery Chris O’Shea, group chief executive of Centrica In response to the shortages, the prime minister’s spokesperson said the government is confident the UK has “sufficient gas supply and electricity capacity to meet demand this winter”.