THE head of energy giant SSE has spoken of his personal shame that the company faced strong criticism for mis-selling.

However, Ian Marchant has also attempted to play down the role his staff played in the process, claiming cases of lying to customers "were few and far between".

The SSE chief executive was speaking after the Perth-based power provider was fined £10.5 million for misleading potential customers about rivals' prices.

Energy regulator Ofgem confirmed SSE would pay a record fine "for numerous breaches of its obligations relating to telephone, in-store and doorstep sales activities" over a three-year period.

The regulator said SSE's management had failed in their duty to manage compliance, and had allowed mis-selling to occur.

At the height of the three-year scandal, hundreds of thousands of customers were persuaded to switch from other suppliers but ended up on higher tariffs.

In an interview with BBC Scotland, Mr Marchant said mis-selling was largely down to "misunderstanding, either deliberate or accidental".

He added: "However, I feel deeply ashamed that a company I've been involved in, where I've been proud to be a leader, was involved in something that it should not have been.

"Absolutely, it's something that I'll regret for the rest of my career."

Mr Marchant is to step down as chief executive this summer after 11 years in the job, and 20 years within SSE's companies. He said he hopes to continue as a company and charity director.