LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) -
* A record number of British energy customers switched supplier last year, data from industry group Energy UK showed on Thursday.
* 5.5 million customers switched in 2017 up from 4.8 million in 2016
* There are now almost 60 energy suppliers in Britain, Energy UK said
* The data comes as Britain’s energy firms are under pressure to reduce bills and as regulator Ofgem prepares to issue a price cap on the most widely used tariffs
* The data does not show which companies lost or gained the most customers
* Britain’s largest energy supplier, Centrica’s British Gas, reported in November it lost 823,000 accounts in the four months from the end of June to the end of October (Reporting by Susanna Twidale; Editing by Mark Potter)
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