Mumsnet founder to advise E.ON

E.ON has parachuted in Allan Leighton, the former Asda boss, and Justine Roberts, founder of parenting and consumer champion website Mumsnet to restore its battered image in the face of rising prices.

Mr Leighton and Ms Roberts will play a key role in E.ON's drive to spruce up its image, which, like the other "big six" energy providers, has taken a hammering in recent months as utility bills hit record levels. The group, which supplies electricity and gas to 6 million UK households, has also recruited Paddy Tipping, a former Labour MP, to help with the initiative, which was announced in November and aims to "regain the trust of our customers".

The so-called reset review aims to simplify tariffs, help customers become more energy efficient and, most challengingly, to explain that prices will keep rising as wholesale gas costs increase and Britain's ageing power generation infrastructure is replaced.

The trio, who are giving their pay from E.ON to charity, will visit the utility's customers with engineers at their homes, listen in to complaints at call centres and give their conclusions to the company's chief executive, Tony Cocker.