Pregnant woman without heating after oil cost spike

A pregnant woman said she felt she had no choice but to go without heating after the cost of her heating oil more than doubled.

Anna Barker lives in the Amber Valley area of Derbyshire, where many properties that are not connected to a gas supply need oil to heat homes and water.

Barker ordered 800 litres (211 gallons) of oil after noticing her tank was running low on 1 March, but she said her order was cancelled, and when she was invited to re-order, the cost had increased from £475 to more than £1,000.

Many households in the UK have reported significant price increases amid the UK-Israel war with Iran, which saw oil prices rise at the start of March.

Barker, who is expecting to give birth in the next few weeks, said when she made her initial order, she paid about 58p per litre.

However, she said her order was cancelled on 5 March, and when she was invited to reorder, the price had increased to £1.30 per litre.

"I'm currently nine months pregnant so there will be a newborn baby in our house at some point very soon," she said.

"I think that just adds some anxiety [to] the situation because we need to make sure that the baby is warm enough and that we have a steady source of oil so we can heat our home.

"We've switched off the heating just to try and relieve some of the anxiety. That means the oil we do have is being conserved and only used to heat hot water.

"I think we're going to try and wait it out. It's a huge amount more.

"If we were to have to pay over £1,000 for oil, that's the amount we've budgeted for all of 2026 for oil.

"With me going on maternity leave as well, we have to budget, so we will wait and hope we will get a better deal in a few weeks."

Barker said she emailed both BoilerJuice and Halso UK Fuels, which would supply the oil, but said neither was able to assist.

Many homes in Derbyshire rely on heating oil and are more vulnerable to price spikes.

In the Derbyshire Dales, 40% of properties are not connected to the gas network, as well as around a third of the High Peak.

Barker said she had recently seen many people on social media sharing similar experiences.

She has called on the government to investigate companies choosing to cancel orders and inviting customers to reorder with higher prices.

Emma Simpson, chief executive at Rural Action Derbyshire, said: "People cannot find an extra £500, it's just not possible.

"So, for people that are elderly, or with a health condition, pregnant, or with a young baby and they need their house to be warm, I really feel for them."

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has written to heating-oil industry bosses UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association Ltd, stressing it is "vital that customers are treated fairly."

"Price gouging will not be tolerated," he stated in the letter, adding that the Competition and Markets Authority "will take any action necessary to protect families".

BoilerJuice said it would investigate Barker's case.

CEO Tim Buckman said: "We do not set prices, manage deliveries or indeed cancel orders, the contract is between the customer and the supplier.

"Whilst I cannot comment on the specific order you are referring to, I can confirm that we are aware of a small number of cancellations initiated by [a] few suppliers.

"The vast majority (many thousands) of orders are being delivered as expected. In those instances of disrupted orders, we are working with customers to secure alternative deliveries and minimise the impact and inconvenience.

"Our advice at this time is for customers to keep a close eye on their tank levels and plan orders well in advance where possible."

A spokesperson for Halso UK Fuels added: "The global fuel market is experiencing unprecedented volatility as a result of the war in the Middle East.

"BoilerJuice is our appointed agent and is responsible for entering into and managing customer contracts via its platform, including the ordering process and payment arrangements. We intend to work with BoilerJuice to address the concerns of our customers through this difficult period."

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