ENERGY companies are putting North Staffordshire jobs at risk by demanding hundreds of thousands of pounds in deposits from pottery firms.

Businesses which had previously paid bills monthly in arrears are being forced to find large deposits, while manufacturers who have been rescued from administration are being charged "deemed rates", which can be up to six times as expensive as standard charges.

The problem has come about because insurance companies are refusing to cover potential bad debts during the recession.

See the full story at www.thisisbusinessstaffordshire.co.uk/