A pensioner has expressed his disgust after seeing his quote for heating oil almost double in the space of just a few weeks.

Bernie Marsham said he was staggered to read that the oil he needs for his home in Swanton Morley, near Dereham, would cost £1.20 per litre.

The 73-year-old revealed he had paid 62p per litre when he last placed an order at the end of January - a rise of 94pc in the space of five weeks.

Another customer told this newspaper they had been quoted £570 for their next order, compared to just £330 at the end of January.

Mr Marsham, who runs a holiday cottage business with his wife, Sally, admitted he feared for the county's older residents.

"What I am concerned about is elderly people across Norfolk," he added.

"My aunt, for example, is 102 years old. If I had not bought her last heating oil order of 1,000 litres, there is no way she would have been able to afford it.

"I am fortunate because I have put some money aside for this sort of thing, but others - including the younger generation - won't be in the same boat.

"How on earth are pensioners going to afford their oil unless they have got really good savings? They are going to be sitting in the cold."

Families across the country have already been crippled since last autumn by the rapidly increasing cost of heating oil, while the cost of living as a whole has also continued to skyrocket.

Last month, the price of oil jumped to its highest level in seven years, and has continued to rise even further following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The conflict has led to significant market instability, and now the UK and US have confirmed they are banning imports of Russian oil in a bid to damage its economy.

Around 1.5 million UK households rely on heating oil for their homes as they do not have access to mains gas supply, and Mr Marsham said thousands in Norfolk would be feeling the pinch.

"Because we are in rural areas, we are stuck with oil," he added.

"Norfolk is a rural county, as are a lot of places, and we have no other choice.

"How can it be that it has doubled in cost? The price urgently needs to be regulated."