Fuel crisis out of control

The spiralling cost of living is almost too frightening to calculate at the moment.

But unfortunately for too many families in our communities and neighbourhoods the reality cannot be avoided. Some of these residents simply do not have the money to pay for the next fill of heating oil to warm their homes.

Over the last three weeks, heating oil has rocketed by well over 100 per-cent – more than doubled – and that’s before the global restrictions on Russia’s oil exports take effect.

Petrol and diesel have taken similar and alarming leaps in price, with some Tyrone forecourts now charging £1.85 for diesel with petrol just a few pence cheaper. Food prices are also increasing, so too the cost of electricity.

It seems we are facing a perfect storm, just as it appeared that we had come through the worst of the effects of the pandemic.

Rising fuel prices and costs of living are of course of little concern to the many millions of Ukrainians who are being bombarded by Russian bombs, as the death toll continues to mount, while many flee their homes and leave relatives behind.

This war – unlike the similarly devastating conflict in Syria – is having a very real and tangible effect on us all.

We are seeing daily updates on the devastation of this war, but the ripple effects of that conflict are also being felt in homes in every corner of Tyrone and across many other countries.

Every sanction, which can help bring pressure to bear on Putin’s administration, must of course be deployed, but the vulnerable members of our community cannot be ignored by the government, as these large fuel corporations continue to enjoy staggering levels of profits.

Well before the invasion, people here in the North were facing the dismal choice to heat or eat. For many now – including working families – the heating option has been taken off their increasingly empty table.