Gordon and Buchan MP Harriet Cross has written to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, accusing heating oil suppliers of doubling their prices and calling for an urgent investigation.
Home heating oil, used by approximately 1.5 million households in the UK, has seen prices rise sharply due to disruptions in the Middle East.
In Aberdeenshire, where 45% of homes rely on off-grid heating oil or LPG, residents have experienced price hikes from £500 for 700 litres in January to over £1,000 since the conflict began, along with significant delivery delays.
Heating oil customers are not protected by Ofgem’s energy price cap, which currently safeguards households using mains gas and electricity until the end of June.
Cross is also urging the government to introduce mandatory price transparency, which would help consumers find the cheapest suppliers and protect vulnerable households from exploitative pricing during this crisis.
Cross wrote in her letter to the CMA: “I have been contacted by constituents who have experienced behaviour from suppliers that can only be described as blatant profiteering.
“Families have had existing delivery bookings cancelled, only to be called back the same day and offered delivery of the same oil, to the same address, on the same day, at twice the original price.
“These households are disproportionately rural, often elderly and vulnerable, and I believe there is evidence of long-standing consumer harm which warrants a CMA investigation under section 131 of the Enterprise Act 2002.”
Drivers across the UK are also feeling the financial strain as fuel prices continue to rise sharply amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
According to a report from the RAC, the cost of petrol has increased by 5p, now averaging 137.5p per litre.
Meanwhile, the price of diesel has surged even more dramatically, jumping 9p to 151p per litre—a significant burden for many motorists.
Diesel fuel, in particular, faces heightened vulnerability because the UK imports most of its supply.
This heavy reliance on foreign oil sources means that UK fuel prices are especially susceptible to global market fluctuations and geopolitical events that can disrupt supply chains. As a result, fuel pumps are at risk of sudden price changes due to global oil shocks.
The CMA has issued a warning to fuel retailers, emphasising the importance of transparency and fair pricing; failure to comply could result in regulatory scrutiny and potential penalties.
Leave a Comment