WE have businesses in our region which are regarded as world leaders in their field.

Europe’s most productive car factory is here, as are experts in chemical processing, bridge-building, subsea, hi-tech manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

There is a lot to feel proud about.

It is less pleasing to note, however, that we also host Britain’s worst energy supplier.

A report published today reveals that Npower has scored the lowest in an annual energy company customer satisfaction survey for the seventh year running.

Bungled bills and shoddy service have become its watchwords, prompting thousands of customers to find alternative suppliers. If you are a current or former customer of Npower, which was formed from the old Northern Electric company, you will know this already. If you are not an Npower customer you may feel this has nothing to do with you.

Well, Npower is one of our region’s biggest employers. Its flagship “customer care” centre at Houghton-le-Spring employs about 2,500 people and it supports more jobs outsourced to Capita’s offices in County Durham. When it loses customers due to poor service, it puts North-East jobs at risk and that is the last thing our region – still top of the unemployment table – needs right now.

Npower’s woes go back more than six years to the introduction of computer systems which caused horrendous problems. By 2013 nearly 300,000 bills were being sent out late every month. Problems persisted to such an extent that the Energy Ombudsman ordered Npower to give free energy to those customers who had waited too long for the company to deal with their complaints.

Npower says the worst is behind it and things are getting better. We have heard this before.

Please sort yourselves out Npower so we can have an energy firm to feel proud of.