Family turn off heating their Bromyard home over 'extortionate' oil costs

Becky and Andy Bloomfield have been quoted nearly £600 to refill their heating oil tank compared to £250 in December

A family say they are facing "extortionate" quotes from suppliers for oil to heat their home.

Andy and Becky Bloomfield, from Bromyard, Herefordshire, said costs had spiralled from about £250 for a tank in December to £600 at the end of March.

The couple, who live with their son and daughter, have gone without heating for three weeks to keep costs down.

"The cost of living has gone up and you just can't keep up," Mr Bloomfield said.

The family have also been boiling water to do their washing up in order to conserve their oil.

"We are almost bullied into spending extortionate amounts of money on something which was four times cheaper two or three weeks ago," Mr Bloomfield said.

Unlike gas and electricity, households do not need a contract with any one company and instead can buy heating oil from whichever supplier can offer the best deal.

The cost of the liquid is not protected by the energy price cap though and the government has said it has no plans to set one.

At the same time, Ms Bloomfield said the family's electricity bill had risen 83% with the rise in the price cap from 1 April.

"It is not affordable any more to waste energy, not when you are looking at £160-170 each month just for our electric," she said.

"We have the washing line up in the garden already because it is cheaper than the tumble drier and I am turning off all the lights."