HALTON residents made around 60,000 complaints about their energy or telecommunications supplier last year.

Yet a further 77,000 were not acted upon.

A roadshow organised by the Ombudsman Services came to Widnes town centre for four days to give people a chance to bring their gripes to experts.

Only 105 energy and communications complaints were brought to the Ombudsman Services in 2016 meaning that many consumers are not getting the compensation or apology they deserve.

Chief ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith said: “It was great to see so many Widnes and Runcorn residents come down to our roadshow and learn about their consumer rights.

“We helped a lot of people lodge complaints and it was great to see everyone’s enthusiasm for standing up for their consumer rights.

“It’s important that residents know their consumer rights and don’t put up with bad service.

“Complaining should be an easy, hassle-free experience – if you’re still in a dispute with a company after eight weeks, Ombudsman Services can look into the case for free and provide a resolution.

Ombudsman Services provides an independent, impartial and cost effective means of resolving disputes outside the courts.

It can investigate disputes between customers and suppliers that have been ongoing for eight weeks or more or those that have reached a deadlock stage.

Consumers must contact their supplier directly in the first instance before they can escalate the complaint to the ombudsman.

Ombudsman Services have offices at Daresbury Park in Runcorn.