I have lived in my house for more than 30 years and have always been with British Gas.

When I was given the option to pay for my electricity and phone calls through them too, I accepted.

I have always been very happy with this arrangement and the services provided until the day a man from Southern Electric knocked on my door.

He asked me if I was aware British Gas had been sold to a French firm called Sentrex.

I am very proud of being British and was furious to think yet another British firm was now French owned.

Instead of doing the correct thing and phoning British Gas to see if the information was correct, and also because I was really furious, I accepted the man's word and signed up with Southern Electric instead.

Everything had gone through when I had a letter from British Gas asking me for my final reading.

It was necessary for me to ring them back and in doing so I explained why I was leaving them.

They said the information I had been given was a "blatant lie" and British Gas has not been sold to anyone.

When I asked how I could believe him and not Southern Electric he offered to give me the regulator's phone number.

He stated they have had a lot of calls over the past month with the same story.

He also said they would be putting a complaint in and Southern Electric should be sued for giving false information.

I have decided to go back to British Gas but I'm still wondering who is telling the truth!

Miss S Hodson Orpington