PRESS DIGEST-British Business - Feb 2

Feb 2 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

- The taxpayer bailout of Bulb Energy is on track to cost the government only £260 million ($322.35 million), according to Octopus Energy.

- British Gas routinely sends debt collectors to break into customers' homes and force-fit pay-as-you-go meters, even when they are known to have extreme vulnerabilities, a Times investigation can reveal.

The Guardian

- British Steel is considering cutting up to 1,200 jobs at its steelworks in Scunthorpe in a move that unions said would be a "betrayal" of workers amid talks with the UK government over a potential £300 million ($371.94 million)in financial support.

- The private equity investor Greybull Capital is considering a bid for the collapsed battery startup Britishvolt, as administrators at EY try to push through a sale of the gigafactory project.

The Telegraph

- BT Group PLC rival Cityfibre is to cut up to 400 jobs amid rising costs and growing competition between the UK's high-speed broadband providers.

Sky News

- Rothschild, the investment bank, and the retail investment giant Hargreaves Lansdown are to become shareholders in RetailBook, a platform which allows ordinary investors to take part in corporate floats and share sales.

- Britain's second-biggest steel producer British Steel has been drawing up secret plans to axe hundreds of jobs.

The Independent

- Landlords have been urged by Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) to "act now" to address issues in social housing after the regulator found tens of thousands of properties have "notable" damp and mould. ($1 = 0.8066 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)