'My heating oil costs have more than doubled since Iran war started'

The price of heating oil has spiked in the aftermath of the US-Israeli war with Iran, leaving some customers who rely on it facing significantly higher costs. Fran Barrett, a teacher who lives in a Cheshire village not on the gas network where everyone is dependent on oil, said she first saw prices double last week, and is now unable to secure a delivery at all. Barrett told BBC Your Voice her oil tank is about a third full and she is saving what's left solely for hot water, having turned the heating off completely. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said there was "price gouging" in the market and some heating oil companies were using the Middle East crisis as "an opportunity to rip off consumers". Barrett told the BBC: "The first quote I had was £314 for 500 litres. Then within two or three days of the conflict starting, it went up to £653," she said. As of Monday, she was being told a supplier could not be found in her area. The global oil price reached nearly $120 a barrel on Monday, a four-year high, though it has since fallen. The jump was sparked by fears of a lengthy disruption to supplies caused by the war. Those who use heating oil often store it in a tank outside their property an