Glen,
I think they have done away with all the coin operated utility meters by now, purely because the people who used them were the poorest in the land, and they used to break into the meters when they got short of money.
Nowadays, we still have meters, but they are read by a meterman who calls around every three months, they then send us a bill for the gas and electricity we have used. There are many fifferent ways to pay the bill, from weekly payments into a post office to direct debit from your bank.
But again for the poorest in the land, they have fitted meters that accept payment from a plastic cards, that you either top up or buy from local shops. Once you have no more credit on the card, tough luck, gas and electricity is shut off automatically by the meter, until you can afford to put more credit in.
Bogs