More businesses are choosing to buy their electricity and gas from outside the Big Six.

That’s according to the latest market share report from Cornwall Energy.

The rise is due to Britain’s energy markets becoming more competitive, the report states.

It adds recent new entrants to the market mean “more than 40 companies are now competing to meet the energy needs of British businesses”.

As a result, collective share of the business market held by the Big Six has dropped to below a fifth for gas and is nearly three quarters for electricity, it went on.

Robert Buckley, Director at Cornwall Energy, said: “We conduct a market share report twice a year and our findings have always acted as a marker for the changes in the industry.

“It is an exciting time to be a business looking to change supplier as competition is rife, making good deals easy to find.”