Fears for the elderly as heating oil prices triple

THE price of heating oils used to warm many homes in rural areas has more than tripled in less than a month.

Existing pressures such as inflation and rising energy costs have been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, forcing the price of crude oil up.

The huge increase could see people living in the countryside without mains gas making very difficult choices.

And there are concerns for older people on fixed incomes who may struggle to cope.

One customer in Gloucestershire, who lives near Winchcombe, buys oil for his home at 500 litres at a time. It takes about nine months to get through it.

He was quoted a price in late February of 60.51 pence per litre, £321.66 for a 500-litre tank.

Only a week later the price per litre was £1.28 - and the tank has more than doubled in cost to £682.19.

After a spell where it looked like there was no heating oil available, he has carried out a new search which found a quote this week of £1.98 per litre, more than three times the cost in late February. A 500-litre tank will cost an eye-watering £1,046.48.

The householder, who lives with his wife and young children, said: “We don’t have the heating on all the time or set too highly but this price rise is incredible.

“We can’t switch to mains gas as the pipeline runs through the village and would be at too high a pressure to use in homes.

“We’ll be fine - we have blankets and jumpers to stay warm and we’ll have cold showers in the morning.

“It’s lucky we’re moving into warmer months.”

But with many people in rural areas often being older, the man expressed concerns for others living nearby.

He added: “My neighbours won’t be so lucky. The majority are pensioners and will need to stay warm. There will also be a lot of people who rent and who use oil who won’t be able to afford this increase.

“We’ve looked at moving to alternative heating options but all of this is long term and not a quick fix.”