Energy group to cut 2,400 jobs

Npower parent company RWE is to cut 2,400 jobs across Europe after reporting a 9 per cent rise in second-quarter profits to €2.6 billion (£2bn).

Most of the job losses are expected in Germany, but the group was unable to rule out cuts in the UK, where it employs more than 12,000 people.

Essen-based RWE, which has a major call centre in Newcastle and power stations in England and Wales, has already announced plans to slash 5,000 positions and axe a further 3,000 workers through divestments.

Npower, which has 6.5 million UK customers, saw operating profits fall 15 per cent to £250.7 million in the second quarter, despite an 11 per cent jump in gas demand as households turned on the heating amid a dire start to the summer.