Coal price soars

Saturday 20th September 2008, 10:00AM BST.

ISLANDERS are facing more fuel bill misery this winter after the price of coal rocketed by over 20 per cent.

Jersey Coal Distributers announced the price rise just months after Jersey Gas increased prices by 20 per cent and Jersey Electricity warned that bills would soar by at least 25 per cent next year. The price increases will heap more problems onto Islanders who are struggling to cope with rising food and petrol costs and the extra burden of GST.

Jersey Coal Distributors said that the price of a 25 kg bag of house coal would rise from £9.90 plus GST to £11.95 plus GST on 1 October – an increase of 20.7%. They said that they had been forced to increase prices because of the rising cost of buying the coal, which is sourced from Poland and bagged in the UK before being imported into Jersey.

Sean Blake, general manager of Jersey Coal Distributers (pictured), said: ‘We have tried to keep our prices as low as possible, but it is costing us more to buy the coal. The price increase simply reflects the market price. It’s unfortunate, but we can’t absorb these costs so we have had to pass them on to the customer.

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1
Mark Glanville

September 20, 2008 at 10:39 am

Damn.. I was looking to start using my coal fire this year to try and save a few pounds on the gas. Better get my jumpers out as it is going to be a cold, wet, expensive winter. But don’t worry as we will have a few new States members to cheer us up over the festive season. No doubt they to will turn to the dark side once they get elected.

Anyway on a more serious note i think we should be thinking about our OAPs this winter and as the States don’t care about them we should all be popping round and making sure they are all ok and don’t start suffering by been to cold as they can’t afford the heating. Make a note to drop in every now and again to any elder people you know.

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2
futurist

September 20, 2008 at 10:43 am

Jersey ‘life enriching’?
more like wallet draining!

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3
badbob

September 21, 2008 at 9:24 am

What a surprise? not really. This is rip off jersey, how can the price of coal be allied to gas and oil? Let’s get out and demand a 20% rise in wages. All these multi fuel burners they have sold the public will be uneconomical to run. Every winter is the same a chance to fleece the most vunerable of society. Another truly disgusting move.

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