SCOTTISH Power has been rated one of the worst energy suppliers in the UK for complaints in a Citizens Advice study.

But the consumer group's energy complaints league table for the first quarter of the year shows that Perth-based SSE has the best record of the 20 largest energy firms in the UK.

The study which measures how effectively customer complaints are dealt with by energy companies shows that the poorest performer Birmingham-based Extra Energy with 1682 complaints per 100,000 customers, the highest ratio recorded over five-year history of the table. It had 60 times as many complaints as best performer SSE.

The research, based on the number of consumers that have contacted an independent organisation for advice or support with an energy problem, found Scottish Power had the fifth worst record with 558.3 complaints.

Craig Salter, energy spokesman for Citizens Advice Scotland’s Consumer Futures Unit, says:“Consumers across Scotland should receive the best possible standards of service from energy suppliers – regardless of the suppliers’ size.

“This league table shows that a wide range of small and large firms across the UK are providing a good service to consumers, demonstrating that size should not prevent a company from performing well.

“However, many consumers throughout Scotland continue to face a gamble when it comes to customer service. More needs to be done by suppliers to ensure that all consumers get the service they need, and these results highlight where many of those improvements need to be made."