THREE more energy firms have collapsed, leaving roughly 233,000 customers in the lurch.

Igloo, Symbio Energy and Enstroga have announced today that they have stopped trading.

Enstroga has 6,000 customers, Igloo Energy has 179,000 and Symbio Energy has around 48,000 – leaving roughly 233,000 customers without a supplier.

However, Ofgem has announced that customers will still continue to receive gas and electricity as normal.

Money that customers have paid into their accounts will also be protected, where they are in credit.

Ofgem will also choose who the new supplier will be to these customers.

It has advised those affected to wait until a new supplier has picked and contacted you before looking to switch to another company, if you choose to do so.

Customers should also take a meter reading ready for when your new supplier contacts you, Ofgem added.

This is to make the process of moving customers over to a new supplier and paying back money that they're owed – if they are in credit in their accounts – as smooth as possible.

Ofgem retail director Neil Lawrence said: "Ofgem’s number one priority is to protect customers.

"We know this is a worrying time for many people and news of a supplier going out of business can be unsettling.  

“Our safety net we’ll make sure your energy supplies continue. If you have credit on your Enstroga, Igloo Energy or Symbio Energy account the funds you have paid in are protected and you will not lose the money that is owed to you."

It follows four other energy companies who have recently folded too – including Utility Point and People's Energy – and other suppliers are struggling too.

Bulb, the UK's sixth biggest energy firm, has already confirmed that it is scrambling to find new funding.

It had 1.5million customers last year, which is thought to have risen to as much as 1.7million since, who could all be affected by the company folding.

Bulb hasn't collapsed but it could potentially be the next to fall following a string of recent energy firm failures amid rocketing gas prices.

A number of energy firms have announced that they will not be accepting new customers as suppliers continue to fold.

Utilita is the latest energy provider to announce it is not currently accepting new customers. It currently has around 800,000 customers and a 2.6 per cent market share.

Neo Energy has a notice on its website that it is not accepting new energy customers.

Instead it offers users the chance to register on its waiting list for when it is accepting new customers again. Neo currently has fewer than 250,000 customers.

Meanwhile, Look After my Bills, a service which offers to find the best energy deal and do the leg work of switching for you, has also frozen its services for energy customers.

A notice on its website said it is pausing its energy switching services because "it's difficult to find reasonably-priced deals at the moment".

It comes after comparison site Compare the Market last week froze its comparison tool for energy deals because there weren't enough good offers on the market.

What should I do if my energy supplier goes bust?

Many people are looking to switch supplier at the moment because they are worried theirs will go bust, but now may not be a good time to do that.

If your provider goes bust Ofgem will move you to a new supplier, and your credit balance will be protected.

Households are advised by Ofgem to take a photo of the meter reading.

You'll be contacted by the new supplier which can take a couple of weeks, Citizens Advice says, and they should let you know how you'll be paid back.

The organisation also has a handy list of the new suppliers which have taken over the ones which have gone bust.

Customers should log into their accounts online to check their balance and download any bills. It's worth keeping hold of old bills so you can show your payment history and any credit.

Households with direct debits are also advised not to cancel until the new account is set up.

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