:00:00. > :00:11.On our energy special tonight. The meter has definitely been interfered
:00:12. > :00:14.with because it has a fake seal. with because it has a fake seal
:00:15. > :00:17.Hunting down the power thieves, we join the British Gas detectives.
:00:18. > :00:21.join the British Gas detecthves This is a huge problem, we believe
:00:22. > :00:23.that perhaps ?500 million worth of gas and electricity are stolen
:00:24. > :00:27.across the industry every year. What happens when the elderly get
:00:28. > :00:32.cold? We turn two pensioners into guinea pigs to find out. Older
:00:33. > :00:35.people cannot slow down their heart people cannot slow down thehr heart
:00:36. > :00:39.rate in the same way that younger people can so they have raised blood
:00:40. > :00:44.pressure and sustained heart rate, so they have a much greater risk.
:00:45. > :00:52.And two years of the controversial Glynde wind turbine. Has it been
:00:53. > :00:55.worth it, or is it just spin? We would not have spent ?1 million on
:00:56. > :00:57.this turbine if we were not convinced it was going to do what we
:00:58. > :01:01.had predicted. I'm Natalie Graham with untold
:01:02. > :01:03.stories, closer to home. From all round the South East, this is Inside
:01:04. > :01:19.Out. Hi, I'm in the heart of the South
:01:20. > :01:23.Downs with our energy special in Hi, I'm in the heart of the South
:01:24. > :01:23.Downs with our energy speci`l in the Downs with our energy special in the
:01:24. > :01:26.hills above Glynde. We're b`ck Downs with our energy speci`l in the
:01:27. > :01:28.hills above Glynde. We're back here hills above Glynde. We're b`ck here
:01:29. > :01:30.later. But first, as the row over prices becomes ever more heated, a
:01:31. > :01:31.prices becomes ever more he`ted a growing number of people are
:01:32. > :01:31.prices becomes ever more heated, a growing number of people ard now
:01:32. > :01:36.growing number of people are now stealing their gas and electricity.
:01:37. > :01:48.Mark Jordan joins the enforcement teams as they hunt down the power
:01:49. > :01:50.thieves. Energy prices are making he`dlines
:01:51. > :01:52.as our bills hit an all`time Energy prices are making headlines
:01:53. > :01:52.as our bills hit an all`timd high. as our bills hit an all`time high.
:01:53. > :01:57.Honest households pay up. At ?3 a Honest households pay up. At ?30 a
:01:58. > :02:02.year of our bill is paying for stolen power. The meter has
:02:03. > :02:06.definitely been interfered with because it has a fake seal in the
:02:07. > :02:12.top. This is the story of the power thieves, and the people who track
:02:13. > :02:17.them down. The British Gas training Academy in Leicester. Here,
:02:18. > :02:19.engineers learn how to spot tampering of gas and electrhc
:02:20. > :02:22.tampering of gas and electric supplies. It has never been more
:02:23. > :02:27.needed. Difficult economic climate is equal more people feeling that
:02:28. > :02:32.this is the only way they can get this is the only way they c`n get
:02:33. > :02:34.their energy. This is huge problem. We believe that perhaps ?500 million
:02:35. > :02:36.of the gas and electricity `re of the gas and electricity are
:02:37. > :02:37.stolen across the industry dvery stolen across the industry every
:02:38. > :02:42.year. In terms of the custoler, year. In terms of the custoler,
:02:43. > :02:44.potentially ?30 per year on their bills, that is a lot of mondy and it
:02:45. > :02:50.bills, that is a lot of money and it is not something they should have to
:02:51. > :02:55.pay. For the next few days, I am riding along with Piers and Malcolm,
:02:56. > :03:01.power theft investigators. The most bizarre case I have dealt whth is a
:03:02. > :03:06.nursing home. When we caught him, it cost him ?25,000. But this
:03:07. > :03:10.morning's call is much smaller fry. The first three we have got is
:03:11. > :03:15.domestic. And routine meter reading has discovered a single mother of
:03:16. > :03:20.three tampering with her gas meter. The appeal to be a cooker hose which
:03:21. > :03:25.replaced the gas meter. `` there appeared to be all stop even with
:03:26. > :03:33.gas central heating, they only paid ?15 last year. How many people live
:03:34. > :03:42.in the property? Because the mother in the property? Because thd mother
:03:43. > :03:47.has children, she is considdred vulnerable and cannot be cut off. We
:03:48. > :03:50.are trained to trace back who is doing this. We find trends of where
:03:51. > :03:55.people are going round estates, tampering with the same metres in
:03:56. > :04:00.the same way. These people will charge a range from ?10 to ?500 per
:04:01. > :04:04.time. They can do ten to 15 a day. They are not putting themselves at
:04:05. > :04:05.risk. If something happened there, it is the adjoining properties who
:04:06. > :04:17.are `` affected by a potenthal are `` affected by a potential
:04:18. > :04:22.explosion. Whatever the cause, gas explosions can be deadly. In
:04:23. > :04:24.Sheffield last year, this entire house was blown apart. Miraculously,
:04:25. > :04:32.no one died. But it is a chilling no one died. But it is a chilling
:04:33. > :04:36.reminder of the dangers of gas. The damage of that explosion was so
:04:37. > :04:41.great that authorities were never able to pinpoint the exact cause.
:04:42. > :04:42.Emergency services were worried about other dangers. So thex decided
:04:43. > :04:46.about other dangers. So they decided to conduct a test. The police were
:04:47. > :04:50.on site and the networks ard on on site and the networks ard on
:04:51. > :04:53.site. They asked us whether or not we felt it was right to havd
:04:54. > :04:53.site. They asked us whether or not we felt it was right to have a look
:04:54. > :04:57.at some of the other supplids in the at some of the other supplids in the
:04:58. > :05:04.street and from looking at about 20 houses in a single terrorist
:05:05. > :05:06.street, we found five gas thefts and to electricity thefts. `` in a
:05:07. > :05:11.single terrorist street. This really impact on safetx, a
:05:12. > :05:19.bicycle in achieved, it is used to bicycle in achieved, it is used to
:05:20. > :05:24.bridge the gas meter so that she would be across here like that. We
:05:25. > :05:34.have come here to inspect your electricity meter. This flat's total
:05:35. > :05:37.bill of ?5 in the last year led them to find this dangerous bypass. Can
:05:38. > :05:39.you tell me what the problel to find this dangerous bypass. Can
:05:40. > :05:42.you tell me what the problem is? you tell me what the problel is
:05:43. > :05:46.Malcolm prepares evidence for prosecution and the bill for years
:05:47. > :05:54.of stolen electricity. They were back build from 2008 since the
:05:55. > :05:56.account started. It is going to be a big bill. Hard up and hard times may
:05:57. > :05:58.drive some, but we are now hn a very drive some, but we are now in a very
:05:59. > :06:01.rich part of Essex. Homes hdre drive some, but we are now hn a very
:06:02. > :06:05.rich part of Essex. Homes hdre often sell for over 1 million. But the
:06:06. > :06:10.team have a tip`off about an eight bed mansion with ?300,000 worth of
:06:11. > :06:16.cars on the forecourt. But the house is suspiciously energy efficient.
:06:17. > :06:18.Can I come in and have a look and see what you