Centrica's British Gas to cut nearly nearly 700 jobs

LONDON, April 20 (Reuters) - Utility group Centrica (LSE: CNA.L - news) 's British Gas, the country's largest energy supplier, said on Wednesday it is proposing to cut 684 jobs at its British Gas Services unit with the proposed closure of its Oldbury office near Birmingham.

Centrica, which has been hit hard by weak energy prices, announced last year it would cut 6,000 jobs as part of a cost-saving drive.

Oldbury employees will now have a 45-day consultation process to discuss the proposal, British Gas said.

If the site is closed it will try to redeploy staff in other offices, it added.

"We must also respond to the changing needs of our customers, and they increasingly want to contact us online," said Claire Miles, British Gas managing director of customer operations, in a statement.

Earlier this year British Gas said it would cut 500 jobs in its insulation business. (Reporting by Karolin Schaps; Editing by Greg Mahlich)