UK households and businesses are not cutting their gas usage as fast as their European counterparts.

That’s according to analysis by academics from Imperial College London for Drax Electric Insights which suggests the UK’s gas reduction year-on-year was outpaced by other European counties, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

Experts stressed that demand for gas rose in Britain last September, compared to previous years.

The report estimated that from September, through to end of November, Britain’s gas demand was just 0.3% lower than would have been expected pre-energy crisis.

Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London and Lead Author of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report, said: “The UK is an outlier on the world stage, showing no signs of reducing its appetite for gas during a time of dramatically higher prices.

“If temperatures continue to drop during the festive season, managing the energy crisis will be both more difficult and expensive unless people and businesses break their addiction to gas.”