Oil crisis leaving people unable to heat their homes

A couple whose heating oil order was cancelled have had to pay more than double their initial quote, after being left without enough fuel to heat their home.

Clare Smith, 47, placed an order for her parents, Ron and Lynn Smith, on 1 March for £323, but was told nearly a week later that it had been cancelled.

With other suppliers claiming they too were unable to fulfil orders, they were forced to turn the heating off to save the little they had left to heat water.

They were eventually able to source a fresh tank via a friend, but had to pay about £750.

Ms Smith said she had ordered oil for her parents, who live in a remote hamlet between Milford Haven and Neyland without an internet connection, for years without issue.

"In years of using them we'd never, ever had that," she said.

"They said sorry, we're not taking orders any more. They said they'd had to cancel over 200 orders that week."

Ms Smith, from Ross on Wye in Herefordshire, contacted other suppliers.

"Some of them just said point blank, 'we're not taking any orders'", she said.

"My parents were very low. They didn't have enough for heating. They would have run out very quickly, they had just enough to keep the hot water running.

"We were discussing if the weather turned, whether my parents would come and stay with me so I could keep them warm.

"That's not a long term solution."

When Ms Smith and her parents were eventually able to source an alternative provider, they were charged £1.40 a litre.

"We didn't have a choice," she said.

"(My dad) was very annoyed. He's dipped into their savings.

"Particularly as a pensioner, it's a big expense for them and we obviously don't know how long this situation is going to continue."

Richard Barnes, from Garnant in Carmarthenshire, said that at current prices, his annual heating oil bill would rise from about £1,000 to £3,000.

"The heating has gone off. I put it on in the morning for maybe an hour just to stop any damp from coming in, but that's it," he said.

"I've only got enough oil left for maybe a week and a half. I haven't really got any other form of heating at all.

"I'm basically having to dress up and keep moving."

He said he believed he would be ineligible for any financial support from the government, adding he was fearful of what the impact of a prolonged conflict in Iran would be.

"I don't know how long the conflict is going to go on so I'm trying to be prudent," he said.

"I've tried getting quotes from other companies. Some have told me they're unable to quote me. Others have come back with these very inflated prices, which on a matter of principle I don't want to pay.

"I'm hoping we get a warm summer, but if this is still the situation next winter then I'm in real trouble.

"It won't just be me. It'll be all my neighbours, everyone in this rural community.

"The coming months are going to be very difficult."

About 7% of households in Wales depend on oil as their primary heat source, but there are much higher proportions in rural communities.

Nearly a third of homes in Ceredigion and Powys are reliant on oil, as well as 24% in Carmarthenshire.

The UK government announced a package of support on Monday for vulnerable households exposed to the recent surge in oil prices, triggered by US-Israeli war with Iran.

The Welsh government will receive £3.8m of a £53m package of support, with the UK government saying it should be used to provide support to struggling families dependent on oil.

The UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association, which represents many oil suppliers, said it welcomed the UK government's offer of support, adding the industry's structure created healthy competition between retailers.

It also said it welcomed a review by the Competition and Markets Authority into pricing, saying it was "confident that the review will provide clarity and help address misconceptions about how the sector functions".