Ofgem imposes selling ban on ScottishPower

LONDON (Reuters) - ScottishPower, one of Britain's "big six" energy suppliers, has been given a temporary selling ban for failing to clear a backlog of customer issues within a timeframe set by the regulator. Iberdrola-owned Scottish Power is barred from proactive selling for a 12-day period from Wednesday, British energy watchdog Ofgem said in a statement. Ofgem launched an investigation into some of ScottishPower's customer services, including long call-waiting times and a delay in implementing decisions by an independent official in November, giving the energy supplier monthly deadlines to improve. It said the company had met targets to improve call waiting times and reduce the number of late bills sent but ScottishPower had failed to clear all outstanding Ombudsman decisions on customer complaints. "We remain very concerned about how customers are being treated," Ofgem senior partner Sarah Harrison said. "As well as our ongoing investigation, we require ScottishPower to undertake an independent audit of its progress on improving customer service. We will keep the need for any further action under review." Britain's energy suppliers face competition from smaller providers gaining market share. (Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Jason Neely)