British Gas Boss' 40% pay rise in five years as bills soar at the same rate: Chief executive now takes home £2.35m as families struggle to pay bills Sam Laidlaw's total pay packet, including bonuses, is £4.97m His pay comes as fuel prices make up record share of household spending Ed Miliband has vowed to freeze fuel bills if he wins the next election By Neil Sears Raking it in: Sam Laidlaw of British Gas, above, has seen his pay soat by 40 per cent in the past five years The boss of British Gas has seen his pay soar by nearly 40 per cent in five years - while customers" bills rose at almost exactly the same rate. Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, which owns the gas firm, was paid £1.73million in 2008. However last year his salary had shot up to £2.35million - an increase of 36 per cent. In 2008 the average annual British Gas bill was £625 but last year it had rocketed to £865 - a rise of 38 per cent. And Eton-educated Mr Laidlaw ended up raking in more than his £2.35million basic salary last year. His full pay package, which included bonuses for reaching long-term targets, totalled £4.97million. Fuel campaigners have attacked the salary increases at Centrica as they come at a time when fuel bills are making up a record share of household spending. Fuel Poverty Action spokesman Clare Welton said: "It is outrageous that Centrica bosses have accepted huge pay rises at a time when they are squeezing more and more money out of hard-up households. With one in four households thought to be making the impossible choice between heating and eating, Centrica's focus should be on helping their customers, not increasing their profits. Labour leader Ed Miliband has vowed to freeze fuel bills if he wins power in the 2015 general election. Last night Labour MP John Robertson, a member of the Commons energy committee, said: "This is totally unacceptable. I have said this over and over but it is time these people are brought into the real world. He added: "In this time of austerity, they need to do their bit the same as everybody else." Mr Laidlaw's earnings have so far helped him purchase three luxury homes - a Chelsea town house, a mansion in the Oxfordshire countryside as well as a holiday flat on the Isle of Wight. And despite millions of British Gas customers enduring pay freezes since the start of the banking crisis, other executives have also seen their pay soar. Freeze: News of Laidlaw's increased pay comes after Ed Miliband, pictured at the Labour Party conference in Brighton last week, pledged to freeze energy prices if he is prime minister Former managing director Phil Bentley, who owns a £2million house in London and a holiday cottage in Dorset, enjoyed a 21 per cent pay rise over the same period. He saw his pay package increase from £1.08million in 2008 to a total of £1.31million. Mr Laidlaw, 57, is actor Hugh Laurie's cousin and the son of former BP chairman Sir Christopher Laidlaw. He was attacked last year for using a "tax efficient" investment scheme despite being part of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group. Last night both Mr Laidlaw and his British Gas spokesman were unavailable for comment.