'I've taken an extra job to pay for heating oil'

A woman from East Sussex says she is having to take on extra work to pay for the soaring cost of her heating oil.

Sheila Williams, from Golden Cross, has taken on a waitress job for the winter to help her pay her bills.

She said her oil bill had doubled since the start of 2026 and the extra job was needed to help pay for it.

A government spokesperson said: "We have pledged £53m in support for vulnerable households on heating oil and removed the 4% tariff on home heating oil."

Williams, who has lived alone in a park home for seven years, said: "Words cannot express how upset I am about this."

Thousands of homes across Sussex are not connected to the gas mains and rely on oil.

A household wanting to fill a 1,000-litre tank could be facing a bill of more than £970.

Nigel Wanstall, from Sheffield Park, said: "We've no heating at all because I can't afford to fill my oil tank.

"The price of it is so expensive.

"We use an open fire in the lounge and an electric blanket in bed."

Jon Reardon is director at Rye Oil, which supplies 15,000 residents in south-east England.

He said: "On average the oil price has doubled since the war started in the Middle East.

"There are a lot of our customers trying to hold off ordering oil for as long as possible.

"It's had a big impact on our sales."

The issue of rising heating oil prices was debated in Westminster on Wednesday.

Polly Billington, energy minister, said the government was working to regulate the industry.

She said: "We are reforming the heating oil sector, holding suppliers to account and giving consumers confidence that they will get a fair deal."

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