As utilities bills keep on rising, millions of Brits are opting to take action before the harsh winter months kick in, with tactics aimed at keeping the financial burden down ranging from wearing a couple of extra layers in front of the TV to switching energy suppliers and getting a better deal for the same consumption.

However, a rising minority are now reportedly willing to bend the law, and put their lives at risk, all in the name of getting cheaper gas and electricity rates.

'Meter Cheaters,' as they are commonly known, have been around ever since Britons were given the chance to have power fed straight to their homes for a fee.

But now, with gas bills for those unable, or unwilling, to pay by direct debit, up nearly 50 per cent since the start of 2008, the cost of energy theft to the UK's major suppliers now totals more than £140 million a year, and rising, the BBC's Donal MacIntyre programme revealed.

Of course, given that the energy companies and the authorities would scoff at the notion of a 'victimless crime', and are only too willing to make an example of fraudsters in the shape of hefty fines, meter cheaters are far more likely to end up substantially worse off financially than they are to slash, or even wipe out, their bills altogether.

But the greater risk lies with the act of tampering with a building's electricity supply, with the broadcaster's report finding that a worryingly large number of Brits are seemingly happy to place their own and other peoples' lives at risk by creating a major fire hazard.

Alan Dick, from the UK Revenue Protection Association (UKRPA), which represents firms investigating energy theft, is wary that the problem is only getting worse across the UK.

"We've had instances where a house has burnt down, and the seat of it appears to be the meter - it could well be that somebody had tampered with it," he said.

What's more, just one criminal individual could place an entire residential building at risk through attempting to get one over on the energy giants, experts warn.

The good news for law-abiding consumers is that the Energy Retail Association, which represents suppliers, has signaled that, on the back of ongoing consultations with industry regulator Ofgem, it is set to get tough on the practice.

In much the same way that it is hoped that lie-detecting technology will help drive fraudulent insurance claims out of that sector and thereby push premiums down, so too could it be the case that this action could serve to minimise any future utilities rises at least a little bit.

Until then, the best – legal – means of cutting back on gas and electricity bills remains shopping around for the best deals and switching suppliers if necessary.