BRITISH Electricity watchdog, Prof Stephen Littlechild, said yesterday he had abandoned plans to open up the market to full competition on April 1st, 1998. Prof Littlechild, director general of industry regulator, Offer, said 10 per cent of customers would be able to take advantage of full deregulation from that date.

Competition would be introduced in phases based on postcodes, with the second phase, covering a further 15 per cent of customers, starting in May 1998.