Oil crisis leaving people unable to heat their homes

<h1>Oil crisis leaving people unable to heat their homes</h1>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>They were eventually able to source a fresh tank via a friend, but had to pay about £750.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>"In years of using them we'd never, ever had that," she said.</p>
<p>"They said sorry, we're not taking orders any more. They said they'd had to cancel over 200 orders that week."</p>
<p>Ms Smith, from Ross on Wye in Herefordshire, contacted other suppliers.</p>
<p>"Some of them just said point blank, 'we're not taking any orders'", she said.</p>
<p>"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.</p>
<p>"We were discussing if the weather turned, whether my parents would come and stay with me so I could keep them warm.</p>
<p>"That's not a long term solution."</p>
<p>When Ms Smith and her parents were eventually able to source an alternative provider, they were charged £1.40 a litre.</p>
<p>"We didn't have a choice," she said.</p>
<p>"(My dad) was very annoyed. He's dipped into their savings.</p>
<p>"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."</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>"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.</p>
<p>"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.</p>
<p>"I'm basically having to dress up and keep moving."</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>"I don't know how long the conflict is going to go on so I'm trying to be prudent," he said.</p>
<p>"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.</p>
<p>"I'm hoping we get a warm summer, but if this is still the situation next winter then I'm in real trouble.</p>
<p>"It won't just be me. It'll be all my neighbours, everyone in this rural community.</p>
<p>"The coming months are going to be very difficult."</p>
<p>About 7% of households in Wales depend on oil as their primary heat source, but there are much higher proportions in rural communities.</p>
<p>Nearly a third of homes in Ceredigion and Powys are reliant on oil, as well as 24% in Carmarthenshire.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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".</p>