CENTRICA yesterday completed its £1.1 billion purchase of the AA with a promise to plough millions of pounds into new technology and services at the breakdown company. Of 4.4 million eligible AA members, 97% of a 67% turnout gave the green light to the sale, with many in for a £248 windfall.

Personal members will benefit from the payout, by October 15, but fleet members will be treated as one member, no matter how many drivers are covered. AA chairman Brian Shaw, who becomes a non-executive director at Centrica and will chair its AA motoring policy committee, said: 'We are delighted that such an overwhelming majority of our members has followed the AA Committee's recommendation to support this deal.'

Fleet services will be among a range of AA services under review and already, Centrica is carrying out studies to see whether a diagnostic system used to test boiler control units by British Gas engineers could be adapted for AA patrol staff to test engine management systems on cars. The system would speed problem-solving on the roadside. The AA's AA HELP and Dynamic Scheduling System to automatically send the nearest vehicle to a breakdown could also be adopted by British Gas engineers, while a no-call-out discount used by British Gas could also be adopted by the AA to encourage better maintenance of vehicles.