I guess that explains this:

British Gas chaos leaves thousands without heat

Thousands of British Gas customers have been left without heating or hot water for days - and in some cases weeks - during the coldest part of winter because the company's HomeCare insurance operation is in chaos.

A whistleblower who works for British Gas has revealed that staff were told customers without central heating "no longer constituted a priority", even though they have paid around £200 a year for emergency call-out insurance.


You may find this site interesting re the Gas situation in the UK:

http://gasissues.blogspot.com/