Pay an extra £150 to stop your 'Prezza' boiler breaking down in the winter: Anger as profiteering British Gas charge to fix condenser fault

Millions of homeowners who were forced by John Prescott  to buy expensive energy-saving boilers are now facing bills of £150 to stop them from breaking down in the cold this winter.

The £4,000 water heaters – known as condensing boilers – were hailed by Mr Prescott, when deputy leader of the Labour Party, as a green  alternative to traditional ‘dirty’ boilers.

A law was passed in 2005 stating that when an old boiler is replaced, it must be with a condensing boiler.

However, last year’s freezing weather caused hundreds of thousands to break down because a pipe that carries waste water from the boilers to the house drain froze up.

More than eight million have been installed, and British Gas – which has sold almost a million of them – is now urging its customers to fit a new cold-resistant pipe.   Read Here