Greedy power firms are raking in an £11BILLION windfall from a scheme meant to curb greenhouse gases.

Figures uncovered by The People’s fuel campaign show The Big Six energy giants are ripping off consumers over permits.

The permits, which tell the firms how much fossil fuel they are allowed to burn, are given to them by the Government FREE.

But they pass on a CHARGE of £9 a unit to electricity users which is what they reckon the value of the permits will be in five years when they will have to pay for them.

If the scam was ended the 5.5million poorest users could be handed £2,000 each - enough to heat and light their homes for two years.

The windfall is at least £2billion higher than previously estimated - and  The People has called for action to end the unfairness.

“The figures The People has uncovered are astounding,” said Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who backs the campaign. “Energy companies enjoy a massive subsidy when many families are in a desperate struggle to pay bills.

“This multi-million pound windfall should be used to protect the most vulnerable from fuel poverty.”

And Lord Mogg, boss of industry regulator Ofgem, added: “The Government should reduce the free allocation of allowances.

“This could provide revenue to fund measures to help alleviate fuel poverty.”

The European Emissions Trading Scheme tells polluters how much carbon they are allowed to burn.

Unused permits can be sold to other European companies who need more, which is what gives them their notional value. The Government allocates permits to industry which add up to £10.7billion.

Scottish & Southern get the biggest windfall of £1,423million, followed by E.on with £1,386million and npower with £1,271million.

Centrica, the British Gas parent company, get the least at £492million because they generate electricity using gas rather than coal.

From this year seven per cent of the permits will be auctioned although the Government has the power to sell 10 per cent.

A new system will start in 2013 and ministers are pressing for ALL permits to be auctioned then.

That would give the Treasury £11billion which they could use to fight fuel poverty.

So as a start The People is demanding that the Government auction 10 per cent of the permits NOW which will give the poor an extra £1billion.

You are fuel poor if you spend more than 10 per cent of your income on energy and must choose between heating and eating.

The figures The People have uncovered are astounding. This multimillion pound windfall should be used to protect the most vulnerable.

LIB DEM LEADER

NICK CLEGG

Commenting on the 24% rise in repossession orders in the past year announced today by the Government, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:“These figures confirm the very worrying trend on actual repossessions which were published last week.

“The level of growth of repossession orders suggests that we are on track for a repossession crisis very similar to the early 1990s.

“It is absolutely vital that the Government should intervene and require a proper code of conduct to be implemented by mortgage lenders. This should not just apply to the big banks but to the large number of secondary lenders who are using court action to pursue their debts in a very aggressive way.

 “The Council for Mortgage Lenders code of conduct should be put on a statutory footing for all repossession actions.”

Commenting on the announcement that the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has ended its contract with ETS to mark future SATs papers, Liberal Democrat Schools Spokesperson, Annette Brooke said:

“ETS demonstrated pure incompetence when it came to marking this year’s SATs.

“Many children are still waiting for their results, which are now nearly six weeks late.

“Ministers must confirm that ETS will not receive a penny for this year’s fiasco.

 “I hope that instead of finding another company to mark future Key Stage 3 papers, the Government will now scrap these expensive and unnecessary tests altogether.” 

Ask for ID - or lose your licence.That is the warning to traders from police and trading standards officers after six shops sold alcohol to underage customers.

The off-licences all failed test purchases which were carried out during recent weeks of action in the East Marsh, West Marsh and People’s Park areas.

Police say selling alcohol to those under 18 can lead to the problems which the weeks of action attempt to solve - such as anti-social behaviour and criminal damage.North East Lincolnshire Council has released the names of the six shops which failed, to warn traders of the consequences of selling alcohol to under-18s.

They are:

Costcutter Express at Jet Garage, Cleethorpe Road, Grimsby

Rose and Eddie’s, Springbank, Grimsby.

Today’s Supermarket, Lord Street, Grimsby.

B & B News, Wintringham Road, Grimsby.

Spar, Legsby Avenue, Grimsby.

European Food and Wine, Corporation Road, Grimsby.

Insp Tom Shaw, alcohol and violence reduction champion for North East Lincolnshire, said: “It is totally irresponsible to sell alcohol to someone under 18 and it is not going to be tolerated.

“The latest results are very disappointing. If traders are selling alcohol to kids, there is a knock-on effect of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage offences both in and around the shop.

“The vast majority of traders in North East Lincolnshire are responsible. I don’t want to tar everyone with the same brush.

“But the ones who repeatedly sell alcohol to youngsters are liable to lose their licences completely.”

Neil Clark, principal trading standards officer at NELC, said: “The number of failures was higher than in recent times, which shows too many shopkeepers are still prepared to snub the law in favour of a quick profit.

“We will not hesitate to take action against any retailers found selling alcohol to underage youngsters, given the well-documented information about how such items can cause serious health and anti-social problems which impact across the whole community.

“Our message to traders is that they can’t be vigilant one day and have an off-day the next where they take their eye off the law.

“If unsure, they must ask for ID and refuse sales if they have any concerns at all.

“Trading standards officers can offer advice and education, but retailers have a great responsibility to ensure the law is upheld.”

Be in with the chance of winning £50 cash at the end of the month by registering for the library service’s Read and Win Challenge!

One lucky reader has already walked away with £50 during July.

To be in with the chance of winning August’s prize money all you need to do is to have read two books from the library by the end of the month.

There are even more opportunities to win cash throughout the year: Read three books by end of September to be entered for an £100 draw Read four books by end of October to be entered for an £100 draw Read five books by end of November to be entered for an £100 draw Anyone who completes the full challenge and reads six books by the end of December will be entered into the final prize draw to win £250! It is free to sign up to the library and free to register for the challenge.

To sign up for the challenge pop into to your local library.