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Britain's biggest domestic gas supplier, British Gas (BG), has cut its energy tariffs as the price of wholesale gas continues to fall.

Under the price cuts gas prices have fallen by 17 per cent and electricity by 11 per cent while the average annual dual fuel bill will fall by £167 to £953, the energy giant says.

The proposal has been seen by some industry experts as an attempt by BG to retain its customers after around one million of its clients ended their energy agreements with the company last year.

Commenting on the tariff cuts, managing director Phil Bentley said: "We are taking the lead in passing on the benefits of falling wholesale gas prices. As a result of this move our customers will be better off."

However the announcement has been met with scepticism by some energy analysts. Paul Green, chief executive at energyhelpline.com, said that customers should not accept the price falls offered by their supplier but instead "take action and proactively switch tariff".

"Normally we would say that price falls are good news for consumers. However, most customers are being lulled into a false sense of security by the headlines that prices are coming down," Mr Green added.

Illustrating his point, he added: "At the rates in place yesterday an average BG customer paying by direct debit could have saved £275 by switching to their cheapest tariff. Today, BG has only given £160 back to these customers."