Heating oil costs 'more than double' ahead of winter
Middleton in Teesdale has no mains gas supply so many residents use expensive heating oil.
Heating oil costs 'more than double' ahead of winter
Households in Upper Teesdale are getting ready for winter as the price of heating oil is now "more than double" what it was at this point last year.
Because Middleton-in-Teesdale has no mains gas supply, most homes in the area depend on heating oil to stay warm, which means residents can be faced with bills of more than £1,000 at a time to top up their tanks.
Latest figures indicate that households across rural areas including Teesdale, Weardale, Northumberland and parts of North Yorkshire are currently paying about £600 for a 500-litre heating oil delivery, which works out at roughly £1.19 per litre.
In October 2025, domestic heating oil prices stood at around 52p per litre.
The increase is causing worry in communities where many people have little alternative but to use oil-fired heating systems.
Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services (UTASS), based in Middleton-in-Teesdale, operates a heating oil buying group designed to help residents obtain lower prices.
By pooling orders from households across the area and making monthly bulk purchases, the scheme can cut costs by around 3p per litre.
The organisation says the group has become an important way of helping people manage household budgets during times of high energy costs.
Emma Spry, the manager at UTASS, says the scheme helps with residents' "cash flow".
"To get a discount on oil you need to be buying more than 1000 litres at a time, with our scheme the minimum order is 500 litres so this can help to spread the cost a bit for people," Spry said.
UTASS itself uses heating oil to heat its offices.
Kim Richardson, who has lived in Middleton in Teesdale for more than 20 years, said "the price of oil has shot up, it's double what it was last year".
"I need 1,000 litres, it'll be a fortune.
"My husband turns the heating off but I like it on, I like to be warm.
"Thankfully, the good summer we had meant we didn't need to use much oil during the summer months."
Many households in the area try to prepare in advance by filling tanks during the warmer months when prices can sometimes be lower.
For some, though, the cost of heating oil is completely unaffordable.
Pauline Thompson, who lives locally, says she does not use heating oil because of the cost, and instead uses oil filled radiators that use electricity to heat up.
"If we need hot water for a bath, I boil the kettle. Heating oil is just too expensive to use.
"When I moved in, I rang the electricity board and asked for the cheapest way to heat the house and they said oil radiators which use electricity to heat up so I use them instead, I'm on pension credits, it's just not affordable for me."
Without mains gas, residents have fewer choices when heating costs rise.
As winter approaches, organisations such as UTASS are urging anyone worried about heating oil costs to look into schemes that could help lower the amount they pay.