British businesses are at greater risk of being exploited by energy suppliers than domestic consumers, the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has argued.

Calling on the energy industry regulator Ofgem to do more to help companies in dealing with gas and electricity suppliers, the BCC argued that corporate users are generally tied to long-term deals, while consumers are free to switch every 28 days should they wish.

Furthermore, the body's director general David Frost pointed out that suppliers to businesses are not legally required to publish tariffs, thereby allowing for a "lack of transparency and fairness".

"With the economy slowing and energy bills on the rise it is totally unacceptable that hard-pressed businesses are left so open to exploitation by energy suppliers," Mr Frost was quoted by the BBC as saying.

At the same time, Energywatch reported that it receives as many as 32,000 calls every year from UK businesses looking for assistance in dealing with energy suppliers, with the BCC wary that many queries may go unanswered once the industry watchdog is merged into the larger Customer Focus group in the autumn.