SSE, the UK's second-largest energy supplier, lost 110,000 customers over the last three months despite freezing its prices.

The Perth-based utility, which supplies around nine million customers, blamed "very competitive market conditions" for a drop in electricity and gas customer accounts from 9.10 million to 8.99 million by the end of June.

The business, which trades as Southern Electric, Swalec and Scottish Hydro, also saw gas usage plunge 29 per cent and electricity fall 7 per cent due to milder weather conditions.

SSE, along with the other big energy providers, has come under fire for raising prices and now faces a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) probe to see if there is enough ­competition in the UK energy market.

The CMA is expected to publish its provisional ­findings in May or June next year.

SSE, which held its annual meeting yesterday, said the investigation was an "important opportunity to demonstrate the competitiveness of the energy market in Great Britain."

SSE's loss of customers in the first quarter of its financial year comes after the business lost 370,000 customer accounts in the year to March.