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

Published6 November 2026, 06:06 GMT

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: "Thousands of heating oil customers felt they had nowhere to turn when they paid the price of rising oil and gas costs earlier this year.

"We won't accept that. Energy is an essential good and people should not have to think twice about whether they're protected in the market.

"That's why we will reform the sector, holding heating oil suppliers to account and giving consumers confidence that they will get a fair deal."

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Related topics

Cost of Living

Oil

Hailsham

Uckfield

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Related internet links

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero