Injunctions

If suppliers exceed their powers (eg, by refusing to reconnect your supply unless you pay excessive charges), you may be able to obtain an interim court order or injunction (an ‘interlocutory injunction’) requiring them to reconnect the supply until the dispute is resolved and a final determination is made. An injunction can be an effective remedy against the irreparable harm caused by the infringing party supplier. Sometimes, the threat to seek an injunction may be sufficient to persuade a supplier to reconnect.1Gwenter v Eastern Electricity plc [1995] Legal Action, August 1995, p19 Note: applying for an injunction can be costly. You must pay a court fee of at least £3652Form EX50, gov.uk/government/publications/fees-in-the-civil-and-family-courts-main-fees-ex50 and should also get advice from a solicitor before using this remedy. A court fee is payable unless you are exempt on grounds of low income, in which case you have to complete an application for a fee exemption on Form EX160. You must also satisfy the legal test to succeed in the injunction application. Legal Aid is not available for advice about this type of debt, so you would need to meet the cost of instructing a solicitor yourself. See Chapter 14 for more information.

 

1     Gwenter v Eastern Electricity plc [1995] Legal Action, August 1995, p19 »

2     Form EX50, gov.uk/government/publications/fees-in-the-civil-and-family-courts-main-fees-ex50 »